


The Dragon's Queen

by Diamond_Dragon_Queen



Series: Tales of the Champion [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: A little bit of angst down the road, Aged-Up Character(s), Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mostly fluff though, Or at least the OC is, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some violence lives here, We finally got to the major angst yo, minor character mental illness/instability referenced, occasional language warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:02:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 68
Words: 96,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diamond_Dragon_Queen/pseuds/Diamond_Dragon_Queen
Summary: Being the Champion of Kalos was great, at least until your crazy ex won't leave you alone. Celeste decides to move back to Galar before being talked into taking the Gym Challenge. Shouldn't leave much room for distractions, right? Not if Raihan has any say in the matter.
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan & Original Female Character(s), Kibana | Raihan/Original Female Character(s), raihan - Relationship
Series: Tales of the Champion [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935682
Comments: 503
Kudos: 311





	1. The Beginning of The End

**Author's Note:**

> Soo...I did a thing. I have loved reading fanfic for years now, but this is the very first time I've actually sat down to try my hand at posting my own. I couldn't help it, because WTF Game Freak for giving us such a sexy character to work with, right? I am by no means a writer by trade, so I apologize in advance for any faults. I hope you like it.
> 
> I obviously don't own Pokemon or any of its characters, aside from my OC.

Celeste let out a sigh as she watched the exhibition match streaming on her Rotom phone. The match was in Wyndon. The largest city in Galar, and the site of the regions Pokémon League. While slightly different than most leagues, it still had the same basic concept: defeat the gym leaders and challenge the league for a chance to beat the champion. The current champion of Galar was Leon, by all accounts, one of the greatest trainers Galar had ever seen. He was only a few years older than her, 24, compared to her own 20. Leon had become the champion of Galar a few years before she became the champion of the Kalos league at 16. She watched as he struck his ‘Charizard pose’ that was characteristic of him opening the battle. His opponent, Raihan was the current gym leader of Hammerlocke, and Leon’s rival. The battle was quick and brutal, ending with Leon on top once again. He struck his pose one more time before the stream ended. Sighing once more, Celeste put her phone away and looked out the window of her room at the League.

She thought about how different things might have been had her parents not moved them all to Lumiose City when she was 10. Before then, she was just as carefree as Leon still seemed to be, in spite of his champion title. Prior to the move, they had lived in Wedgehurst, a smaller town in Galar. It had been a quiet town, and the town of residence of the local Pokémon professor. She wondered if Professor Magnolia was still running things, or if her grand-daughter Sonia had taken over yet. Sonia, like Leon, was a few years older than she was. She imagined that the town wasn’t as quiet anymore, now that Leon was the Champion. After all, he lived just the next town over, in Postwick. Although calling it a town was a bit generous, as it was mostly a smattering of farms, with no Pokémon center or any stores to speak of. The residents of Postwick always went to Wedgehurst to do any shopping. This meant that Celeste had basically grown up with Leon and his little brother Hop, who was a couple years younger than she was. Hop had always been the annoying little brother, while Leon was always the hero older brother to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. She sighed when she saw who was calling. “Hey Calem.” She ran her hands over her pokeballs on her belt while she listened. “Yeah I saw the match.” She frowned. “No, I don’t have any challengers right now, but I…” She let out another sigh. “Yeah. Fine. Let’s get this over with then.” She shut her phone off a bit harder than she intended to, eliciting a chirp from the Rotom living in her phone. “Sorry, Rotom. He just doesn’t know when to stop.”

Unbidden, her Delphox released herself from her pokeball, her brows drawn in concern with the emotions she was sensing from Celeste. Feeling the concern radiating from the psychic fox’s aura, Celeste looked up to meet her eyes. “It’s alright, Nyx. You just know how Calem tends to ignore what I say. That’s why I broke up with him to begin with. Now he just can’t let it rest that I’m still the Champion, and he still can’t beat me.” At the fox’s growl, she smiled. “We just have to beat him into the ground again, and then he’ll leave us be for a while again.” When they had started out on their journey around the Kalos region, she and Calem had quickly become good friends. They even dismantled Team Flare together. When she became Champion, she finally asked him out. They dated for almost two years before Celeste finally broke things off. He was obsessed with beating her and that seemed to be all he could focus on. Now, nearly two years later, it was getting old. He would get angrier every time she beat him. She hated seeing his name pop up on her caller ID, and she hated seeing him, hence the tension her Delphox sensed. Sighing once more, she let her gaze drift back out the window and let her thoughts wander back to her old home since she knew it would be a couple hours before Calem showed up to challenge her.

She heard the alarm that signaled that there was a challenger at the league. Sighing, she moved to change into her normal outfit. She quickly pulled on her ripped black leggings, followed by her distressed denim shorts. She pulled her orange crop top over her head followed by her cropped blue zip up hoodie. She slipped into her black sneakers as she snapped her ball cap in place. Her long, pink-brown colored ponyta tail pulled through the back of her cap. She placed her sunglasses over the brim of her cap, as she knew she would likely take off for a bit after beating Calem, again. She had gotten some strange looks the first time she put her current ensemble together, but now that she was the region’s champion, variations of her style were popping up all over. She was just finishing getting ready, her own lavender irises looking back at her in the mirror, when her phone rang. Glancing at the ID, she started talking without even greeting the caller. “Yeah, Malva, I know. He called earlier after the Galar exhibition match ended. I’m just finishing getting ready.” She paused to listen. “Yeah, I’ll be down in a few.” She clicked off the phone and put it in the back pocket of her shorts. She glanced back up to the mirror, schooled her expression to show indifference and turned for the door.

When she arrived in her own league arena, she stood facing the door, hands on her hips. She glanced off to the side when Wikstrom, Malva, and Drasna entered to watch the match. As they settled, she figured that Siebold was likely finishing losing to Calem and that they would be joining them shortly. At any point when one wanted to challenge the Champion, they had to go through the Elite Four. As many times as Calem had beat them over the last four years since Celeste became champion, it had just become a formality. Said trainers still battled hard in the hopes of keeping Calem from facing her, but they had yet to succeed. Her eyes shot to the door as it opened. Siebold shook his head as he met her eyes, apology written in his expression. She gave the smallest hint of a nod before her eyes narrowed as she focused on Calem as he entered her arena. Without a word or gesture, all six of her Pokémon released themselves from their pokeballs, placing themselves in a line on either side of her, three on each side. The referee came to his position and went over the usual rules. Six on six. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon. He glanced over to Celeste. She gave a nod that she was ready. As the ref signaled the start of the match, Calem and Celeste called out their Pokémon in perfect sync.

“Meowstic!”

“Scylla!”

Her Malamar quickly advanced to the field at the same time her remaining Pokémon stepped back to watch. Knowing that Calem always started with one of two moves, she called out her first attack. “Foul play!” She knew she made the right call when Calem flinched. He always chose his opening move ahead of time with his Meowstic to try to keep her off balance. It never worked. Scylla hit his Meowstic hard, the type advantage dealing a ton of damage to Meowstic. It staggered before falling to its knees and then collapsing. Scylla glanced back at her as she nodded her approval. They both knew what was coming next.

“Clefable, go! Use Moonblast!”

“Hold on and use Psycho cut!” She grit her teeth as the Fairy-type attack hit her Malamar hard. From experience, she knew Scylla could take one or two hits from Fairy-type attacks before being done in. But once Calem’s Clefable was out of the way, the rest of the battle would be smooth sailing. Scylla’s attack hit the Fairy Pokémon dead on, but only managed to stagger it slightly. Calem ordered another Moonblast, and today Scylla couldn’t power through the second hit, fainting after the attack.

“Good work Scylla.” She recalled her fallen mon to its pokeball. “Loki. Sludge bomb.” The ghost Pokémon faded from view behind her before appearing on the field as it launched its attack. Had her Malamar not hit it with the one attack, the Fairy Pokémon would likely still be standing, but as it was, it had taken enough damage that the single attack knocked it out.

“Flareon! Bite!”

“Dodge it! And use Dark Pulse!” Her Gengar quickly disappeared as Calem’s Flareon attacked. It reappeared behind the Fire Pokémon and managed a critical hit. Flareon jumped back, breathing hard from the hit.

“Use Quick Attack paired with Bite!”

“Dodge it again, Loki. Hit it with Shadow Ball.” Again, the Gengar disappeared as the Flareon attacked. This time, the Fire Pokémon spun in anticipation of Loki’s attack, but was hit hard by the ghost’s attack. As Calem recalled his fallen mon, Loki bounced back and forth, taunting his trainer’s ex with glee.

“Absol! Mega-Evolve!”

As soon as the Dark-type Pokémon manifested from its ball, a familiar bright light surrounded it and linked to the band on Calem’s wrist. Celeste balled her hand into a fist. Loki wouldn’t be able to dodge the attack coming from Absol’s mega-evolved form. Still she gave her instruction. “Thunderbolt.” Her Gengar wasn’t able to get the attack off before the Absol hit it with an extremely powerful Night Slash. She recalled Loki and called the Pokémon that would likely finish out the rest of the battle. “Anubis.” Her Lucario growled as he walked to the field. She softly spoke as she held up her wrist, the charm dangling off of her bracelet. “Mega-Evolve. Then use Aura Sphere.” The familiar bright light once more graced the field, this time connecting Lucario to Celeste. As Anubis revealed his mega-evolved form, he launched his attack, knocking out Absol.

Calem frowned as he called his second to last Pokémon. “Altaria!”

“Dragon Pulse.” Anubis didn’t hesitate, launching the pulse of purple energy at the Dragon-type mon. It was a one hit KO.

Now gritting his teeth, Calem sent out his final Pokémon. “Greninja!”

“Aura Sphere. Followed by Close Combat if it’s still standing.” The two-move combo left the mon out cold. As the mon was recalled, Anubis’ mega evolution ended. He returned to her side as Calem stormed over to her.

“How!? You weren’t able to switch your Pokémon out. And you still only used three of them!” As he drew closer, Anubis placed himself between Calem and Celeste, a snarl building on his lips.

Celeste’s eyes narrowed. “The challenge is over. You have lost. Leave.” She turned to the open windows and walked away. “Anubis, Phoenyx, Deimos, return. Typhos, let’s fly.” As her other mons recalled to their pokeballs, she climbed on the back of her Noivern before it lifted off the ground and flew out the window. She didn’t tell Typhos where to go, just let him drift as she buried her face in his scruff. The dragon mon let out a purr as he felt his trainer sniffle. “Thanks T. I just can’t deal with him anymore. But I don’t know what to do.” They drifted for a bit longer before she had the beginnings of an idea. “Typhos. Let’s head to Anistar. I think I need to talk to Olympia.” He trilled in response before changing direction. When they arrived, Celeste first made for the Pokémon center. She felt guilty that she hadn’t healed her team after facing Calem. Once they were tended to, she headed for the gym.

“Miss Celeste, Madame Olympia is waiting for you in her room.”

She nodded. “She clearly saw me coming. Thank you.” The psychic gym leader had a long-standing record of premonitions. Thinking back to when she had come through on her own league challenge, she remembered how difficult it had been to beat her. Now, she had become a welcome source of advice for the young Champion.

“You took longer than I expected.” Olympia didn’t bother with a greeting, getting straight to the point.

“It took me a while to figure out where I needed to go.” She shook her head. “I should know by now that I should just come to you.”

“How bad was it this time?”

“Anubis had to put himself between us. He was snarling and he was still coming.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t keep doing this, but all I can come up with is throwing a match, or just walking away. If I do either, I know that Calem will just end up the Champion. He’s too determined to do otherwise. And he no longer is the kind of person that deserves it.”

“Are you so sure he would end up in your position?”

Celeste leveled a flat look at the psychic. “Do I really need to answer that question? I can’t imagine that you haven’t seen what would happen if he became Champion.”

Olympia bowed her head. “I have. It isn’t good.”

“What else can I do, then?”

“What about the previous Champion?”

“Diantha? I thought she was crazy busy with her acting career now that she didn’t have to split the time being the Champion. Has she even continued to train her Pokémon?”

Olympia’s brow rose. “Becoming a Champion requires a certain type of personality. If you were no longer Champion, would you stop training Pokémon?”

Celeste sighed. “I suppose not. I don’t suppose you have a way to get a hold of our dear former Champion, do you?”

Olympia handed her a piece of paper. “Where will you go when you leave Kalos?”

Celeste stood and turned to leave. When her hand was on the doorknob, she paused. “Haven’t you seen it yet? I’m going to go home.” She pulled the door open and stepped through. “Thank you, Olympia.”

As the door closed, the psychic closed her eyes. “Farewell, young Champion. Your journey is just beginning.”


	2. Making a Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, that means that you got through the first chapter and liked it enough to continue. Thanks! This is a little bit shorter chapter. I honestly don't have this planned out for specific breaks and chapter lengths, but just felt like with the flow, this was all that needed to happen for the chapter to be complete.

Celeste made it back to her room at the league before she pulled out the paper Olympia had given her. She stared at it for a while before she finally picked up her phone. It rang twice before Diantha’s clear voice came through the speaker. “Hello?”

“Diantha? This is Celeste.”

“Celeste? Not that I’m not pleased to speak with you, but how did you get this number?”

“Olympia gave it to me. Listen, I need your help. Would you be able to meet somewhere, privately?”

There was a long pause as the former Champion thought. “I suppose I could come to you. After all, I am familiar enough with the league to know how to get in and out without being seen.” She paused again. “It looks like I am free this evening. Say around 8 pm?”

“That will be perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon.” The call dropped with a click.

Over the next few hours, Celeste paced. She thought about how she would ask Diantha to take back the Champion mantle and how she would get out of Kalos without drawing attention to herself. She really just wanted to be able to drop off the map and live quietly back home for a while. When there was a light knock on her door, she quickly opened it to see Diantha standing there in the plainest clothes Celeste had ever seen her wear. She gestured for the older woman to come in and quickly shut the door behind her.

Diantha crossed her arms lightly. “So, what can I do for you, dear?”

Celeste swallowed before she spoke. “I need you to take the Champion seat back.”

Diantha’s brow rose. “First, why would you work so hard to take my seat, only to want to give it back? Second, what makes you think I would even want the title back?”

Celeste frowned. “I’ll answer the second part first. I think what Olympia said, in her own way of course, is right. Those of us trainers that are able to become Champions are the same. We are too competitive to just walk away and not look back. So, I think, given the opportunity, you would take it back. And as for the first part, I don’t actually want to give it back. I love being the Champion, but I can’t with how all of this has changed my relationship with Calem." She started to pace. "We used to be such good friends. And then we dated for a while, and things were great. But then his friendly challenges became less and less friendly and more of an obsession. And the anger that comes with it…I can’t keep this up. I can’t just walk away and let him become the Champion, because I don’t think it would be healthy for him, but I know if I stay, things are only going to get worse.” She stopped pacing as she finished, rubbing her eyes with frustration.

“So, you think if you aren’t the Champion anymore, he’ll just let it go?”

She shook her head. “No. I think we are far passed that point now. Which is why I won’t even be staying in Kalos once I’m no longer Champion.”

Diantha’s eyes widened. “Is it really that bad?”

Celeste nodded as she pulled out her phone. Malva had sent her some video of the end of the match earlier. “This was today after he lost to me, again.” Diantha watched the video in silence, her frown getting deeper as it continued on after Celeste had flown away.

“Have you thought about how to make this happen?” Diantha asked as she put her phone away.

“A bit. The Galarian exhibition match earlier gave me an idea. What if we held an exhibition type match? Or at least advertised it to start out as that. We get a crowd, have it televised. Only, prior to the match you up the ante and have me stake my title on the match. As a former Champion, you are able to challenge me directly, without taking on the Elite Four.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Celeste nodded. “I looked into it earlier. Any former Champion is able to make a direct challenge for the title of Champion once every calendar year.”

“What happens if I lose to you, Celeste?”

“We will just have to make sure that does not happen. The last time we battled, it was a very close match. Had one thing gone just slightly different, we might not be having this conversation right now.” She shrugged. “My team all know how bad things are and that I am trying to find a way out. I just have to explain the plan to them. We can make it look good; script out the match ahead of time basically. We’ll make it so that we both have some of our team become unable to battle, and then just make sure that you end up the victor.”

Diantha sat there, thinking about it. “I suppose as long as we aren’t seen meeting, it could work. But you’re right, this will have to be scripted out completely to ensure that everything goes the way we need it to.” She snapped her fingers. “Send me a list of your current team with all of their current known moves. I will put something together and get back to you.” She glanced at her watch. “But for tonight, it’s time for me to go. Goodnight, Celeste.”

“Goodnight, Diantha. And thank you.”


	3. The Battle for Freedom

While she waited to hear back from Diantha, she reached out to Professor Magnolia. She told her who she was, and that she was starting to consider moving on from Kalos, when the opportunity arose. She asked about how she would go about moving back to Wedgehurst and what things would be needed to ensure her team could come with her. The professor helped her with the appropriate paperwork and let her know that if she had any questions or needed any help, she would be happy to assist her. She thanked the professor and let her know she would be in touch.

When she finally heard back from Diantha, she was actually quite surprised with what she had put together. The script for the battle was quite elaborate. She asked for about a week to give herself and her team a chance to learn the script, and then they would need to do a practice run. When Diantha asked where they would do something like that, Celeste smiled. “We both know of a place that you have to be of Champion status to enter. Terminus Cave.”

The cave was a haven for powerful Pokémon. Celeste had gone there to train many times after becoming the Champion. The Pokémon inside were so powerful, that league staff were positioned outside as guards to ensure that only Champions, or trainers approved by the Champions, were allowed to enter. They planned it so that they arrived at opposite entrances at different times so that nobody put it together that they were meeting. Once inside, they met in the same chamber, and went through their scripted fight. They repeated this process a handful of times until they felt it was down. Then Celeste put everything into motion by announcing the exhibition match.

The media went crazy when Celeste made the announcement. Since Lumiose City was the biggest city in Kalos, the match would take place there, in the eye of the public. She planned it for the end of a weekend, meaning that people would be too busy going to work and school the following day to try to bombard her with the anticipated fallout from the match. She set to work packing up her things. She put the majority of her belongings into storage, as she would send for them later when things died down and got her travel arrangements in order. As she was still Champion, no one batted an eye as she did these things. Then all she had to do was wait for the match.

One month after Celeste made the announcement of the exhibition match, Lumiose City was packed to the brim. Those who couldn’t make it to the arena were packed into all the cafés and shops to watch the televised match. Across the pond, Galar’s Champion was tuning in to watch the match as well. He had heard about his little sister becoming the Champion in Kalos shortly after he had claimed his own title. Anytime she was on tv, he tried to watch. And if he couldn’t watch, he recorded it to watch later. He barely acknowledged his best friend as he joined him. “Yo, Leon.” Raihan plopped himself on the couch next to him before passing some chips his way. “You said you know the Champion of Kalos?”

Leon nodded. “Yeah. She grew up in Wedgehurst. She was basically like my little sister. Then her family moved when she was 10. She became the Champ in Kalos a couple years after I became Champion here.”

“Well, we’ve got a couple hours before the match actually starts. You said before that you record all of her televised matches. Show me some of them.” By the time they had finished watching some of the recorded matches, Raihan was crushing hard. “Dude. The way she battles. I’ve never seen someone so precise in their movements. And sometimes she doesn’t even need to call out her instructions. It’s like her team just knows what to do.”

Leon nodded. “I know. She’s pretty amazing. If she had been here when she went on her gym challenge, she might be the Champion right now instead of me. Every match I watch, I think I know what she is going to do, but then she surprises me and does something completely different. I’m excited for this match.”

They flipped the tv back over to the live proceedings for the upcoming match. They were currently going over the stats of both Champion level trainers and their Pokémon teams. As they focused on the opening of the match, the stadium went silent before erupting into chaos when the former Champion, Diantha spoke. “Champion Celeste. I want to up the stakes of this match. As is within my right as a former Champion, I would like to make this an official challenge for your title.”

“She can do that?” Raihan gasped.

Leon shrugged. “I guess. They must have some different rules in Kalos.

They watched as Celeste nodded sharply. “I accept your challenge.” Both Champions shook hands before heading to their respective sides of the stadium. As the referee signaled the start, both trainers sent out their first Pokémon at the same time.

“Hawlucha! X-scissor!”

“Scylla! Psycho Cut!”

Leon frowned as he watched the Malamar take a staggering hit from the Bug type attack. Being a dual-type Dark and Psychic type, Malamar was doubly at a disadvantage with the typing of the attack. Neither trainer was allowed to switch Pokémon in this battle, and so the first round would be short. Sure enough, the next attack knocked Celeste’s Malamar out. He continued to frown as the camera focused on Celeste’s face as she sent out her Noivern. “Typhos! Hurricane!”

Diantha sent out her Aurorus next. “Blizzard.” It was a one hit KO, the Ice type attack being extremely effective against the dual typed Dragon and Flying Pokémon. “Loki! Shadow Ball!” They watched while the Gengar and Aurorus went back and forth for several moves before the Aurorus fainted. Celeste’s Gengar was tired after that battle, but couldn’t switch out for a rest. Next came Diantha’s Gourgeist. “Shadow Sneak followed by Phantom Force.”

“Loki! Dark Pulse!” Her Gengar managed to get off the attack, and while it was effective, the combo of attacks the other Ghost type managed to get off, was too much for the already tired Gengar.

“What is up with her today?” Raihan growled out. “It’s like she’s not even trying. Or that she doesn’t care.”

“I don’t know. But her face is too calm for the way this battle is going. Normally, if she gets backed into a corner, she just gets more aggressive, and she’ll manage to take the upperhand. But right now, it looks like things couldn’t be going better.”

“Phoenyx! Fire Blast!” The Delphox quickly obliterated its opponent.

“Tyrantrum! Earthquake!”

Celeste’s Pokémon fought to stay standing through the attack and countered with a Psyshock, but it wasn’t enough as it got hit with another Earthquake, putting it down for the count. “Deimos! Dragon Rush!”

“Goodra! Dragon Pulse!”

“Counter it with Dragon Rush!”

They watched with bated breath as both dragon Pokémon fainted at the same time. Celeste was practically grinning now that they were both down to their last Pokémon. “Anubis!”

“Gardevoir!”

“Mega-Evolve!”

“Mega-Evolve!” Both trainers called out at the same time. A brilliant light enveloped the field as both Pokémon powered up and changed form.

“Meteor Mash!”

“Psychic!”

The stadium was lost in a haze of dust as the Lucario landed its attack. The last thing the camera’s saw before they were surrounded with dust was the glow of Gardevoirs eyes. Everything was silent while they waited for the dust to settle. When it finally cleared, Lucario was unconscious and back in its normal form, while the Gardevoir stumbled and managed to remain standing. As Celeste recalled her Pokémon, the stands erupted in cheers. She slowly walked over to Diantha, shook her hand, and walked away.

Leon clicked off the tv in shocked silence. He simply sat there, staring at the tv with a frown on his face. Raihan glanced at him. “You alright?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. Something was off about that match. At the end, she looked relieved. I don’t know what’s going on, but that was not a normal match.” He slowly stood up. As he turned to face his best friend, his phone went off. “Hey little bro.” He was silent as he listened to the other end, his face slowly filling with surprise. “Wait, slow down, Hop. She’s what?” He paused while his little brother rambled through the information. “When and where bro?” Raihan raised his brow as he watched the conversation. “Okay, got it. I’ll be there.”

As he hung up the phone, Raihan laughed. “What’s the emergency?”

“Celeste is coming to Wedgehurst.”

“What?!”

“She’s finally coming home.”


	4. The Escape

Despite her best planning, the media fallout was huge. She put on a smile and congratulated Diantha on retaking the title. She made sure she was the most gracious loser she could be. Inside though, she was frustrated. All she wanted was to get home, and they were making quite a chore out of it. If she had it rough, Diantha had it worse. Celeste almost felt sorry for the older woman, but quickly realized her concern was unnecessary as she caught her practically shining in the spotlight. After what seemed like hours, she was finally free from the crowds. She headed back to the league to grab the last few of her belongings that were still present and set off for the airport.

When she finally got on the train in Wyndon to head back to Wedgehurst, Celeste rested her head against the back of her seat and sighed. Getting on the plane in Lumiose was a hassle, even though she had tried to keep everything as low profile as possible. When they asked her where she was going, she simply replied. “I’m taking a bit of a vacation. I had already been planning on doing so before the match, and now I can just take my time.” And left it at that. It had been a long flight back to Galar. Nearly twelve hours. Now she had a several hour-long train ride ahead of her. A few people in Wyndon had recognized her and tried to talk to her, but she just politely smiled and waved them off. Even with the strain of travel, all she felt was relief. Relief to finally be free from Calem. She finally let her eyes fall closed to nap on the way home.

When the train came to a stop several hours later, she slowly pulled her eyes opened before stretching. As she got off the train, she frowned when she saw a crowd outside the building. She was trying to figure out how to avoid said crowd when she realized that they weren’t here for her. She saw a flash of purple hair, and she quickly realized that Leon was here waiting for her. He edged his way out of the crowd and smiled at her. “Long time no see.”

“Lee!” She jumped into his open arms and hugged him tight. At the sound of a clearing throat, she pulled away. “Sorry.” She blushed a bit as she took in the man in front of her. His skin was the same dark tone that Leon’s was, but instead of purple hair, his was black, sticking out of his orange knit hat. Brilliant teal eyes met her own over a sharp smile. She recognized him just as he started to speak.

“No worries.” He smirked. “The name’s Raihan.” He nodded toward Leon. “This doofus is so bad with directions, I came just to make sure he’d be here on time for your arrival. Although, I can’t say I’m disappointed to meet you myself.”

She blushed a bit more. “Thanks for that. I’m Celeste, and it’s nice to meet you too.”

Leon glanced back and forth between his best friend and his sister. “Okay. Enough flirting you two. Save it for later.” Celeste sputtered and Raihan laughed. “C’mon, sis. Mom and Hop have been waiting for ya.” Once they made their way out of the station, the crowd finally cleared, and they made for Postwick. While they walked, Raihan looked at Celeste and grinned.

“I saw you have a couple of dragon type Pokémon. I can’t wait to see them.”

“Oh? You like dragon’s that much?”

He laughed. “You could say that. They’re my specialty.”

“Sweet! Well, I’m sure we’ll end up letting all of the Pokémon out when we get to Lee’s.”

Raihan laughed again. “I can tell you’re basically Leon’s family. The only other person I’ve ever heard call him Lee is Hop.”

Celeste blushed. “Yeah. Hop started it. It just kinda became habit.”

Before long, Leon’s house came into view. As they opened the door, Celeste was tackled by a dark blur. She let out an ‘oof’ as she was tackled to the ground. Leon just laughed, while Raihan shook his head before pulling Hop off of Celeste and offering her his hand. He flushed a bit as she took it and he pulled her to her feet.

“You all right there, Princess?”

Her cheeks burned with the name. “Mmhmm. Thanks Rai.”

He blinked as she pulled her hand away and turned her attention to Hop. The two were quite animated as they made their way inside. Leon waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. When Raihan focused on him, he sighed. “You know she’s basically my little sister. Could you maybe give her a week or so to settle in at least before you start drooling all over her?”

Raihan shrugged, his gaze pulled toward Celeste as she laughed at something Hop said. “I can’t promise anything man. I thought she was amazing just watching the recordings, but in person? She’s perfect.”

Leon just snorted. “You’ve got it so bad. Just don’t do anything that would make me have to punch you, okay?”

Raihan just rolled his eyes before they both made for the inside of the house for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the travel time, I very loosely based it off of what the travel is from Paris to London, since those are the two main cities that either region is based off of. That, and the thought that they kind of inverted the UK when they made the map for Sword/Shield which would make it even farther to travel than what it otherwise would be. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	5. Homecoming

They had finished dinner and were out back just starting to let their Pokémon out when Leon cleared his throat. “So, Celeste?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Yeah, Lee?”

“Why did you throw that last match before you came home?” She flinched before she turned to face him fully.

Hop looked back and forth between the two of them. “Lee, what are you talkin’ bout? Celeste wouldn’t lose on purpose.”

She flinched again at Hop’s words before she spoke very quietly. “How did you know?” She had to fight to keep her eyes on Leon when Hop spun back to stare at her, mouth open.

“I’ve watched all of your televised matches. The entire match, you looked like things were going just how you wanted them to. No sign of concern, no hesitation when calling moves. No pausing to think up a strategy to win. But more than that, is that you looked relieved when it was over. Now, I doubt most of the people watching would have noticed, but this is me we’re talking about.”

“And me.” Raihan added, shrugging. “Leon had literally just shown me all of your matches that he’d recorded. It was an obvious difference.”

She sighed. “When I started out on my gym challenge around Kalos, there was group of other kids around the same age setting off at the same time. We all became friends. We spent our time on the road separate, but always met up for a bit at each city or town. It was great. One of the guys, Calem, and I became pretty close friends.” She met Leon’s eyes. “I’m sure you guys heard about the stuff with Team Flare?” At his nod she smiled. “Calem and I were the main ones that took care of them. Anyway, we finished our gym challenge and made our league challenges. I had gotten there first, so I battled my way through the Elite Four and challenged Diantha for the title of Champion. I won. And my first challenger, was Calem. And like all of our battles before, I beat him. After all of the chaos of transitioning to a new Champion settled, we met up. I had grown to like him as more than a friend, and so I asked him out. We started dating then. He would still frequently challenge me. Every time, he lost. It started to become an obsession for him. After a couple years, I broke up with him, because his obsession with trying to beat me was ruining our relationship. He became relentless after that. And then he started to get angry when he would lose.” She paused then, balling her hands into fists. “The last time he challenged me, was right after your last exhibition match with Raihan. He tried to attack me after he lost.”

Leon frowned, tensing with the information. Raihan clenched his fists as he spat. “He didn’t! How stupid can you be!”

“He didn’t actually touch me, so technically, I couldn’t do anything about it. After that, the short of it is that I contacted Diantha, and we planned the match. I knew that I couldn’t just walk away or throw the match to anyone else. Diantha is the only trainer that I had battled that I had almost lost to. It was a close enough match that it could have gone either way if certain things had been done differently. I knew she would be able to prevent Calem from taking the Champion title if I left. And, here we are.”

As she shrugged when she finished, her phone went off. When she picked it up, she cursed. “Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.” She pushed the talk button. “What do you want, Calem?” Both Raihan and Leon stepped closer to her instinctively. “No, I’m done battling you. Besides, even if I wanted to battle you, I’m not even in the region right now.” She clenched her free hand into a fist as she listened. “I’m not telling you where I am, Calem. I’m on vacation!” Leon was reaching for her phone when she simply shut it off. She stood there, gripping her phone, shaking in anger for a moment before Leon put his hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him for a moment before she let out a sigh, relaxing her body as she did. “Sorry about that.”

Raihan laughed. “Don’t apologize, Princess. Not your fault your ex is a psycho. What do you say we have a friendly match to get your mind off of it?” At Leon’s glare, he continued. “No stakes, just something to let off some steam. Besides, I seem to remember you promised I’d get to see your dragons.”

She stared at him for a moment, appraising him, before she smirked. “Sure, but when you lose, just remember that you said there were no stakes.”

Leon sighed. “I guess I’ll officiate for you two.”

Hop cheered. “YES! I GET TO WATCH CELESTE BATTLE IN PERSON!”

Hop ran for the practice field, followed by Leon. Celeste walked a bit slower, Raihan next to her. As they walked, she lightly bumped into him. “What do you say to three on three? That way you can see what I have with me. I have a Salamence that isn’t one of the regulars on my team. I use him as a backup, but maybe later, I could show him to you too.”

He grinned. “I’d like that, Princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to keep Hop aged around 15 or 16. It just makes more sense for his character to stay that way, especially with as exuberant as he is, and the ups and downs he goes through along the story. Either way, he doesn't play a huge role here, just little things here and there to break it up a bit.


	6. New Beginnings

When they reached the practice field, they told Leon they had decided on three on three. Celeste quickly let Phoenyx, Scylla, and Loki out to let them sit to the side to watch. They both grabbed their first pokeballs and waited for Leon to signal the start of the match.

“Typhos!”

“Goodra!”

“Boomburst!, Then Dragon Pulse!”

“Rain Dance, followed by Thunder!” Celeste’s eyes widened slightly when he called out the combination. For a training battle, he wasn’t holding back at all. The two attacks that Typhos landed, staggered Raihan’s Goodra, but it wasn’t enough. Goodra’s combination on the other hand, scored a critical hit, knocking her Noivern out with one hit.

“A friendly match, huh?” She called out, brow raised.

Raihan just shrugged in response. “Habit from battling Leon all the time.”

“Sure it is. Deimos! It’s almost down, finish it with Earthquake!”

“Nicely played, Princess. Let’s go! Flygon! Sandstorm then Earthquake!”

“Dragon rush before it has the chance!” Both Dragon mons were still standing, but breathing hard after the attacks.

“Dragon Claw!”

“Dragon Rush!”

The two dragons were thrown apart from each other, and neither could stand.

Celeste’s eyes narrowed when Raihan called his last Pokémon. It had been long enough since she had lived in Galar, that she had forgotten some of the Pokémon that lived there. “Duraludon!” She took a moment to inspect the new Pokémon while she gripped her pokeball. At her hesitation, Raihan called out. “Giving up, Princess?”

“You wish, Rai. Just trying to figure what the secondary type is on that Pokémon. Since it’s obviously a primary Dragon type, coming from you.” She smiled. “Go, Anubis.” Her Lucario growled when it took in its opponent.

“Stone Edge.”

“Dodge it and use Aura Sphere.” Raihan’s Pokémon staggered with the hit. “Alright, that means the second type is either Rock, Steel, or Ice. Gotta admit, a Dragon and Ice dual type would be pretty sweet and would get rid of one of their major weaknesses. Anubis! Let’s narrow this down. Meteor Mash!”

“Meet it with Iron Head!”

She smiled when she saw that neither Pokémon was very phased by the others attack. “Steel it is then.”

“Nicely done. Now we can finish this. Stone Edge!”

“Close Combat followed by Dragon Pulse!” With that, the battle was over. Celeste quickly pulled out some Max Revives for her two, and Raihan’s three Pokémon, and a Hyper Potion for Anubis.

As they tended to their Pokémon, Raihan chuckled lightly. “You sure don’t pull any punches, Princess.”

She quickly met his eyes. “You either. It was nice though.”

Leon walked up about then and laughed. “Yeah, Raihan. You’re gonna be in trouble when Celeste makes it to your Gym during the challenge.”

Her focus snapped to Leon. “When I what now??” Her lavender gaze was challenging, angry.

He held up his hands. “I figured you’d be doing the gym challenge. It IS getting ready to start up for the year.”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Lee, the whole point of me coming here was to get out of the spotlight and away from Calem. Why would I then charge through the VERY HEAVILY televised gym challenge?”

He shrugged. “Because you’d be bored otherwise.” At her glare, he continued. “Think about it, at least.” With that, he tossed her a pokeball. When she caught it, the ball warmed in her hands briefly. She looked back at Leon.

“Lee…”

He was already walking back inside. “I was planning on giving you that one anyway, since if you do the challenge, you won’t be able to use Phoenyx. I figured she’d be a good replacement for your team. Even if you don’t do the challenge, I want you to keep her anyway. C’mon Hop, Raihan. Let’s give her some space.”

Hop glanced back at her before running behind Leon. Raihan clapped a hand to her shoulder before following at his own pace. Celeste watched them go inside before she looked back down at the pokeball in her hands. Sighing, she turned and went the opposite direction, her mind buzzing as she walked. She finally reached the back fence. She rested her arms on the fence, and watched the sunset, lost in her thoughts. She really didn’t even notice when it became full dark, and the moon started to rise.

Raihan, on the other hand, did notice. “Leon. She’s been gone for hours. Shouldn’t we go after her?”

He sighed. “She’ll be fine. She’s got her team with her after all. Besides, she needed time to think. And this is likely the most quiet she’s had since she became Champion.”

Raihan frowned. “I get that. But it’s getting late.”

Leon waved him off. “Then go get her. When we were kids, she’d head to the back fence when she wanted to be alone. I bet that’s where she is.”

Shaking his head, Raihan simply walked out the door. He frowned to himself when he thought about how stressed Celeste had seemed when talking about her ex. He felt a brush of anger at the thought of her ex attacking her. He sighed to himself when he realized just how bad he already had it for her. After that thought, he stopped short. He had come up on the back fence and found Celeste. Slowly, he walked up beside her and leaned on the railing. “You planning on staying out here all night, Princess?”

She startled a bit, not having heard Raihan join her. “Raihan!” She blinked before looking around. “Oh, jeez. I guess I was so lost in my head, I didn’t even notice how late it was.” She felt her face heat up. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“Leon wanted to let you be, but I couldn’t.” She was looking down at the pokeball Leon had given her. “You know you don’t have to decide tonight. You’ve got a couple weeks before the challenge season starts.”

She looked up at him. “I really was planning on just taking some time off when I got here. I’ve been so stressed with all of this with my ex. And I’m just worried that he’s going to see me on tv and come here himself.” She laughed weakly. “But I’ve just been thinking about what I would do if I wasn’t training and battling. And I guess Olympia was right, Champion’s never stop.”

His brow raised. “So, you mean?”

She nodded. “I’m gonna do it. I’m going to take the gym challenge.”

He grinned. “I can’t wait for your challenge, Princess.”

She laughed. “I’m sure.” Then she frowned. “But I’m going to have to plan out a new team to train.”

“You aren’t using your old team? I thought you only had two Pokémon that aren’t found in the region that you couldn’t use?”

She shrugged. “Well, that’s true. And I have a feeling I know what is in this pokeball.” She held up the ball Leon had given her. “And while I could technically use the rest of my team, that’s a bit unfair to all of the gym leaders to use a champion level team for regular competition. I’ll probably only keep two of my current team, because they are so versatile, and there is no point in me training new ‘mons of the same species. I just won’t use them in the gym challenge unless I absolutely need to. That means that I’ll still have to plan out 3 more Pokémon to balance out my new team.”

Now that she had decided to go through the gym challenge, she was committed 100%. Raihan could see the change in her. She was back to looking like the Champion he had seen in the recordings Leon had shown him. He started speaking before he could stop himself. “Hey, Princess?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I take you out? I mean, for lunch. Tomorrow?”

Her eyes widened, and she took a short breath. He was almost ready to back pedal when she finally gave a short nod. “Sure. I’d like that.”

He let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Great!” When she turned to start walking back to the house, he let out a small groan. “Leon’s gonna kill me.”

They were about halfway back when Raihan spoke again. “So, you gonna see what Pokémon Leon gave you?”

She raised a brow. “Trying to already get a leg up on what my team will be?” She teased.

He shrugged. “Not like I won’t have a good idea by the time you get to my Gym anyway. The benefits of being the strongest Gym Leader.”

She giggled. “I guess you do have a point.” With that she pressed the button and tossed the ball in front of them. She smiled when she saw she was right in her suspicions. “Hey there, Scorbunny. I’m Celeste. We’re going to be partners from here on out. What do you think?” The Fire-type looked at her a moment before bounding over to her happily. As Celeste scratched the Pokémon between its ears, she thought for a moment. “I think I’ll call you Juno.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh. Raihan doesn't waste any time, does he?
> 
> I just looked at everything that I have saved on my computer for this fic. 36k words and counting. I have kind of a bridge in the middle that I need to fill in though. When I started writing this, I had a good idea for the beginning and stuff towards the end, but nothing for the middle. I have no idea what kind of updating schedule I will have moving forward, but for those of you who are actually continuing to read, I really appreciate it.


	7. Teambuilding

The next morning, she was out front introducing Juno to Anubis and Loki. She glanced up when she heard a loud bang. There was a Wooloo banging on the gate into the Slumbering Weald. “Hey, silly Wooloo! Shoo!” The sheep Pokémon continued to bang against the gate. The most it managed to do was rattle it, so Celeste shook her head and went back to work. “Okay guys, it might be a bit before we get the rest of the team lined up, but don’t worry, I have a plan in that regard. So, Anubis, Loki, let’s start with the basics, kay?” Both Pokémon nodded before taking Juno over to start training. She watched them for a while, calling out instructions from time to time, until an already familiar dark hoodie came to rest beside her.

“You don’t waste any time, eh Princess?”

She shrugged. “Might be a bit before I can track down the Pokémon I want to train for my team, so might as well work with what I’ve got. Besides, the first Gym is Grass-type, so I gotta make sure Juno is ready.”

Raihan chuckled. “Yup, definitely not wasting any time. But I seem to remember that I’m taking you to lunch. You ready?”

Celeste glanced down at her watch. “Huh, I’d have sworn I was only out here for an hour. Yeah, I guess I am. Give me a minute.” She turned her attention to her team. “Alright guys! Let’s take a break, c’mon back now!” Once they were standing in front of her, Juno preened with how much the older Pokémon had already taught her. “Good work, all three of you. Take some rest.” She returned them to their pokeballs, placing them back on her hip. She turned to face Raihan and started to speak. “So where….” She was interrupted by a loud crash. She spun, looking back to the gate and swore. “Shit. That Wooloo actually broke through the gate.” She looked back at Raihan. “Sorry. Gimme like ten minutes to go get it, before it gets hurt.”

“I thought the Slumbering Weald was off limits?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, but what else am I gonna do?” She took off before he could say anything else. She raced through the gate and into the woods, following the path the Wooloo had taken before her. As she entered deeper into the woods, she pulled up short. The feeling she was getting was familiar. Dread, in the center of her chest. The last time she had felt something like this was before she faced down Yveltal at Team Flare’s base. She brushed a hand over her pokeballs, and continued on, determined. The feeling got heavier the deeper into the woods she went. The fog got thicker, too. The trees had gotten so thick on either side of the path she was on, she didn’t see how she could get lost. She had gotten to the point that she could barely see her hand in front of her face when an eerie howl sounded around her. The feeling in her chest spiked, and she stopped, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, the fog lifted enough that she could see the area that she was in, but nothing beyond. The howl sounded again, before a massive wolf-like Pokémon appeared before her. She met its golden eyes and stood firm. She could feel it measuring her. It slowly inclined its head, the dread in her chest slowly disappearing as it did. The fog started to thicken again. Before she could make a move, she felt the world around her start to spin before she fell to her knees and blacked out.

She groaned as she slowly came to, a hand lightly patting her cheek. “Raihan?” She looked past him to a frowning face. “Leon?”

“What were you thinking coming in here alone, with only half a team?” She flinched at the reprimand, hearing the concern in his voice.

“I was thinking that I needed to get that Wooloo out of here.” She stood, dusting herself off before turning to look toward the deeper forest. “Lee.” She spoke softly now. “I understand now why no one has ever seen the center of these woods. There’s a Legendary Pokémon in there.” Her voice was nearly a whisper as she finished.

“What are you talking about?”

“Deeper in the woods, the fog got so thick I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. Then suddenly it cleared, and a massive wolf-like Pokémon appeared.”

“How do you know it’s a Legendary Pokémon though?” Raihan asked, brow raised.

She turned back to face them both. “Because I’ve been in the presence of another Legendary Pokémon before.”

Leon frowned. “When did that happen?”

She shivered. “Team Flare’s base. They had managed to track down the Pokémon of destruction, Yveltal. Lysandre was going to use it to destroy the world so he could ‘rebuild it’. When we stopped Team Flare, the only way to stop what they were doing was to battle it. It wasn’t at full strength, thankfully, so I was able to defeat it, barely. It disappeared after that, I assume to return to hibernation, since we’re all still here.”

“Holy shit.” Raihan whistled. “Knew you were a strong trainer. You have to be, to become a Champion, but taking down a Legendary Pokémon? Wow.”

“Regardless, none of us should be here. Let’s go.” Leon frowned before ushering her toward the forest’s entrance. Celeste glanced back over her shoulder as she let Leon guide her forward. Whatever that Pokémon was, she had a feeling it wasn’t done with her.

After her slight misadventure, Raihan insisted that he still needed to take her to lunch. They only went to Wedgehurst, since it was already early afternoon. There was a cute little restaurant that they went to, chatting easily through the meal. Even once they finished, they continued to sit and talk. Raihan was grilling her about her choices for a team. “No, really. If you like Dragon-types that much, why don’t you specialize? From what I’ve seen, you certainly have the skill for it.”

She shrugged. “I think, because as much as I love them, they really aren’t versatile enough.”

His jaw dropped. “What are you talking about? Most Dragon types are dual-typed.”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. It’s hard to explain what I am looking for in the Pokémon that make up my team.” She thought for a minute. “I guess, think about it this way. Gym Leaders specialize to create a certain level of challenge as trainers move to make their way through the league. The majority of trainers emulate Gym Leaders. They find a particular type of Pokémon that they are especially drawn to, and they stick with it. The problem with that, is then when you come across someone with a type advantage against you, there isn’t a lot you can to do come out on top. When you compare that to what most of the Champions of the different leagues do, we diversify. We may have a couple Pokémon of the same typing that we are fond of, but we also have Pokémon that cover the weaknesses that those types generate. Look at my team from Kalos. There are eighteen known types currently. My team knew fourteen of the eighteen types of attacks across their entire combined move sets.”

He whistled. “Not many weaknesses to exploit when you have that kind of move set diversity.”

She nodded. “Exactly. So, when I say that they aren’t versatile enough, I don’t really mean Dragon-types specifically, but focusing on any one type in general isn’t really versatile. Not for me anyway.”

“Any thoughts on what you are looking for to build your new team?”

She hummed. “A few. I’m going to lose both of my Psychic types, so I’m thinking about a Psychic/Fairy for a final evolution. Which would leave me with Gardevoir, Hatterene, or a Rapidash. By the time you look at all of the moves that each one is capable of learning, I think Gardevoir or Hatterene would be best. I wouldn’t want to seem like I’m taking after Diantha, so I’ll probably go with Hatterene. So, I need to find a Hatenna.”

He winced. “Ouch. That hurts, Princess.” He held a hand over his chest in mock hurt. “Fairy type? Really?”

She patted his cheek. “Sorry, Dragon boy. But I will make it up to you with the other two I am thinking about.”

“Dragons?”

She giggled at his enthusiasm. “Yep. I have an idea of where to find a Hatenna, but I’m not sure where I’d find a Goomy or a Dreepy.”

He raised a brow. “Interesting choices. I’d have thought you’d be looking for a Deino or Jangmo-o.”

She shook her head. “Not the right possible move sets.”

He thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t have any Goomy or Dreepy that have hatched recently that I could get for ya, but if you’re going to find one to catch, we’d probably need to head over to the Lake of Outrage in the Wild Area. Fastest way would be to fly to Hammerlocke and backtrack from there.”

She clapped her hands once. “Perfect. Sounds like date number two to me.” His jaw went slack for a moment, surprise leaving him speechless. Uncertainty filled her features. “Unless you don’t want to?”

He mentally shook himself. “No, I absolutely want to. Just kinda took me by surprise there, Princess.”

Relief instantly flooded her features. “Oh.”

When they got back to the house, Leon raised a brow. “Don’t you have a Gym to be prepping or something?” He asked Raihan.

He shrugged. “Not much left to do at this point. Not like you’re one to talk Leon.”

He glared at his friend. “Anyway. I do need to get back to Wyndon, but I needed to give Celeste a couple more things before I go.” He handed her an envelope and a bracelet. “You’ll need that endorsement letter to sign up for the Gym Challenge. And that’s a Dynamax band. It’ll let you Dynamax your Pokémon at specific locations. If you two are going to the Wild Area at all, Raihan can show you how it works.” He stepped a bit closer, lowering his voice. “I gave Hop and endorsement letter too. Mind keeping tabs on him as he goes along on his challenge too?”

She nodded. “Of course. Thanks Lee.”

He shrugged. “Anything for my little sister.” He looked at his watch. “Shoot, I gotta go.” With that, he rushed out the door, calling Charizard out as soon as he did.

Raihan sighed. “Well. There he goes. I guess I should head out too.” He looked at Celeste. “When are you thinking of coming to Hammerlocke?”

She hummed. “Probably should plan on doing it tomorrow. I’m less worried about raising up a Hattena than I am a pair of baby Dragons, so I should get a jump on that first.”

He held out his hand. “Lemme see your phone.” She handed it to him. He quickly typed in some info, paused, checked his phone after it beeped and handed hers back. “There. You’ve got my number. Come to the Gym when you get to Hammerlocke. Call me if I’m not there for some reason.”

She raised a brow at him. “How long have you been wanting to do that?”

He shrugged. “Practically since I met you.” He leaned in, kissing her temple. “Night, Princess.”

Her face turned bright red. “Night, Dragon Boy.” She turned to watch him leave as he called out his own Noivern and took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a head-canon that the Pokédex contains a list of all the known moves that each Pokémon has ever been seen using. When I play the games, I tend to try to have a broad coverage of moves across the board, as was described in the chapter, which is why Celeste feels the way that she does. Also, even though in the game, Raihan doesn't use a Noivern, I expect that as the Dragon-Type Gym Leader, he would have at least one of each Dragon-type that can be found in region.
> 
> Celeste's teams, for reference:  
> Kalos Champion team:  
> Delphox (Phoenyx or Nyx) knows Psychic, Psyshock, Flamethrower and Fire Blast  
> Gengar(Loki) knows Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, and Thunderbolt  
> Noivern (Typhos) knows Boomburst, Hurricane, Dragon pulse, and Draco Meteor  
> Lucario (Anubis) knows Close Combat, Meteor Mash, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse  
> Garchomp (Deimos) knows Earthquake, Dragon Rush, Crunch, Stone Edge  
> Malamar (Scylla) knows Superpower, Foul Play, Psycho Cut, Liquidation
> 
> Current Galar team:  
> Lucario (Anubis) knows Close Combat, Meteor Mash, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse  
> Gengar(Loki) knows Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, and Thunderbolt  
> Scorbunny (Juno) knows Tackle, Ember


	8. A Date to Remember

The next morning, she was prepping her bag. She did a quick inventory count and grimaced. She was dangerously low on Full Restores and Max Potions and would need to stock up before going out to the Wild Area. She slung her bag over her shoulder and called for a taxi. While she waited, she pulled out her phone. She had a handful of messages from Diantha and the Kalos Elite Four. Mostly they were asking how her travel had been, and if she was getting settled okay. She frowned when another of Diantha’s messages informed her that Calem had challenged her, and promptly lost. She continued to respond to the messages throughout the flight to Hammerlocke, reassuring them that everything was fine and that she was settling in well. When she landed, she made for the Pokémon center. Hop had told her that over the last few years, they had consolidated the Pokémon centers and Pokémon shops into one building for convenience. She saw the familiar blue counter inside and made her requests. “Can I get twenty Full Restores and twenty Max Potions?” She pulled out her wallet, quickly thumbing through the expected amount. When nothing was said, she looked up.

“I’m sorry, I need to see proof of eight badges before I can sell you those items.” The worker looked like she was trying to place her face, but just couldn’t figure out who she was.

“Oh. Right. Hang on.” She dug through her bag before she found her case. “Here ya go.”

The worker hesitated. “I’ve never seen these badges before.”

Celeste nodded. “That’s because they’re from the Kalos League. I just recently moved back. So, can I get my items now? I’m in a bit of a rush.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t take these.”

Celeste frowned. “I’ve traveled to other regions and had no issues before. What’s the problem?”

“They could be fake.”

“Excuse me???” Disbelief, followed quickly by anger, filled her. She slowly took a deep breath, pulled out her phone and dialed.

He answered almost immediately. “Hey Princess. “

“Hey Rai.” Her voice was tight.

“What’s the matter, you sound angry?”

“That’s because I’m trying to buy some meds to stock up before we head out, and I’m being accused of forging Gym Badges, simply because the attendant has never seen the Kalos badges before.”

“Shit. Where are you?”

“Hammerlocke. The Pokémon center in front of the Gym.”

He sighed. “I’ll be right there, Princess. Sit tight.”

She clicked her phone off. She glared at the attendant until, a few minutes later, Raihan walked in. When the attendant saw him, she visibly paled. “L-Leader Raihan!”

He was visibly angry. “Any particular reason why you are refusing to sell items to the former Champion of the Kalos region?” He growled.

The attendant paled even more. “I-I didn’t know.”

“You accused me of forging badges!” Celeste snapped.

“I’m sorry!”

“I trust that there is no longer an issue?” His voice was still nearly a growl.

“N-n-no sir!” She quickly gathered the items. “Can I get you anything else?” She was shaking.

“Throw in ten more of each. And a dozen Hyper Potions. Oh, I better get a dozen Max Revives while I’m at it, just so I don’t have to deal with this again.”

The attendant quickly gathered the items then gave her the total. “That’ll be 227,400 pokedollars.” Even Raihan flinched a bit with the total. Celeste, however, after having a Champion’s income for four years, barely batted an eye. She pulled out the appropriate amount and handed it to the attendant. The attendant quickly counted the bills and handed her the bag of items. “Thank you for your business.” She said weakly as she watched Celeste and Raihan swiftly turn and leave.

He was leading her back to the Gym. “Think you went a bit overkill there?”

She shrugged. “Can never be too prepared. And I was serious when I said I didn’t want to deal with that again.”

He shook his head. “I can’t believe she thought your badges could be fakes. Anyway. I’ve got one thing to finish up, and then we can head out.” While he finished up working on hammering out a few last details with his gym trainers, Celeste re-organized her bag, packing the new items in easily. She pulled out the Dynamax band that Leon had given her and looked at it with curiosity. It was glowing now that she was inside the gym. It hadn’t done that before. He walked over to her with a small bag slung over his shoulder, finally finished, as she was looking at it. “Problem?”

She shook her head. “No, just looking at it. It didn’t glow before.”

“Yeah, that’s because the stadium is situated over a Power Spot. It’s what allows the bands to aid us in Dynamxing.” He shrugged. “If you want the science behind it, you should probably go talk to Professor Magnolia.” He watched her pull off her bracelet with her Keystone so she could put the band on her wrist. She frowned for a moment before placing the bracelet into the center of her bag.

“All set?” She nodded, slinging her pack back over her shoulder.

“Good. Now. Let’s go find you a Goomy and a Dreepy.” He led her out into the Wild Area, over to the area he had told her about. “The Lake of Outrage is the main place I will come to find any new partners. Tend to see more of the Dragon-types here.” He looked around at the clear sky above them. “At least right now, the weather is probably better for finding a Dreepy. If I need to, I’ll get Goodra out later to get some rain going so we can look for a Goomy.”

They had been out there for a couple hours before they finally found one. The little Dragon-type was floating back and forth between branches of one of the few berry trees in the area. She held up a hand to have Raihan stay back while she slowly approached. The Pokémon tilted its head curiously when it caught sight of her. Her voice was soft and sweet. “Hey there little guy. I know you have a lot of potential, and I’m looking for a new friend like you.” The little Dragon floated closer, interested in the human that had interrupted its search for a meal. It chirped at her. “Are you hungry?” She fished in her pack for a handful of different berries. “I always make sure to have a variety, since my team always loves them.” She held them out. “Would you like one?” He floated closer, sniffing, before wrapping his arms around a Sitrus berry. “Those are my favorite too.” She watched as he nibbled on the berry for a bit, watching her the whole time. When it was finished, she asked him. “Would you like to come with me? I’ll make sure you can always have a Sitrus berry.” The little Dragon hesitated, unsure, before slowly floating closer. Celeste pulled out an Ultra ball, holding it up for the Dreepy. It chirped once before touching the button with one of its arms, disappearing in a flash of red. The ball didn’t even rattle, simply clicking with the capture. Celeste smiled and let her new friend out of the ball, Sitrus berry in hand. The Dreepy chirped happily before diving for the berry. Celeste giggled, running her hand over the Pokémon’s head as it nibbled on the new berry. “Hmm. What do you think about the name, Morpheus?” The Dreepy looked up at her and chirped again. 

“Well. That’s one way to catch a Pokémon.” Raihan approached, slowly, hands on his hips, surprise in his voice.

Celeste glanced over her shoulder at him, before returning Morpheus to his pokeball. “If I can, I try to have it be their choice to come with me. Really the only Pokémon that I had to battle to catch was Scylla. But Inkay and Malamar are also pretty difficult to train, so it wasn’t too surprising. If they choose to come with me, it just makes our bond that much tighter, especially when trying to raise a young Pokémon.”

He held up his hands. “Hey, I’m not knocking it. I just have never seen it done before, aside from with Pokémon that have just hatched.” He glanced at his phone, checking the time. “Since it’s getting close to lunch, what do you say we head for the marshier area around here, eat, and then I’ll get Goodra to use rain dance so we can try to find you a Goomy.”

She smiled. “Sounds great! Did you bring food?”

He grinned at her, lifting the small bag he'd had slung over his shoulder. “Of course. You can’t have a decent picnic without food.”

She jogged the last bit back to him, wrapping an arm around his. “My hero.” She grinned back, causing him to flush a bit. He led her toward the area that he thought would give her the best chance to catch the Goomy she was looking for, trying his best not to let her see how much she affected him. They had a nice quiet lunch, preferring to eat, rather than talk.

When they had cleaned up, he pulled out one of his partners. “Goodra, Rain Dance, if you wouldn’t mind?” As soon as he asked, the sky darkened slightly, before opening up with a heavy drizzle. Celeste squeaked before pulling her hood up. He laughed before doing the same. Not that it made much difference after a while. It was nearing dark, and both of them were soaking wet before they finally found one. This time, Raihan silently held back without her asking and watched as she repeated the same process she had used for her Dreepy, with the Goomy. It went faster this time around, and when she let him back out of the pokeball, she patted his head, ignoring the slime coming off of him and named him. “I think I’ll call you Apollo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, there was some internet discussion at one point regarding currency in the Pokémon world. The assumption, was that the pokedollar would be the rough equivalent of the Yen. Which would mean that 500 pokedollars would be the rough equivalent of about 5 USD. I would assume the same formatting of currency as the Yen, meaning bills come in 10,000, 5,000, 2,000, and 1,000 denominations, while coins would come in 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1 denominations. Meaning Celeste's shopping trip would have been right about 2,274 USD.
> 
> Also, video game logic with having bags to carry that much stuff without weighing a person down. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	9. Falling

It was full dark before they got back to Hammerlocke and they were both shivering a bit from having to be in the rain for as long as they had been. He cocked his head as he spoke. “You have a place to stay?”

She shook her head. “Not yet, but I can probably crash at the Pokémon center if I need to.”

He snorted. “And have another run in with the store attendant? Yeah, no. How about you stay with me?”

She blinked, caught off guard. “Um, are you sure? I wouldn’t want to…”

“You’re not intruding, so don’t say it. If I didn’t want you there, I wouldn’t have offered.”

She thought about it for a long moment before finally nodding, a smile coming to her face. “Thanks, Rai.”

He grinned back at her. “Anytime, Princess.” He quickly led her through Hammerlocke to his house. Fortunately, since Leon was frequently a visitor, he had an extra bedroom and bathroom for her to use. Not that he would have minded sharing, but that would have been a bit much yet. He showed her to her room and bathroom and told her to make herself at home before heading for his own shower.

When he closed the door, he rested his head against it sighing. He quickly turned on the shower, and stripped, groaning as he was finally able to free the erection he’d been fighting, basically since she had wrapped herself around him in the middle of the day. He hissed as the hot water hit his chilled skin, but stood there for a moment, letting the water warm him back up. He had it so bad. His mind was racing, picturing different things with Celeste at the center of the images. He groaned again when he took himself in hand, leaning his other arm against the wall under the spray, head quickly resting against it as he slowly pumped his other hand. He could easily picture Celeste’s hand instead of his own, or even better were her lips, taking his length and licking from one end to the other. He bit back the moan that wanted to escape as he pumped faster, before finally reaching his peak. He stood there for a moment, resting both arms against the wall of his shower before he let out a small curse. “Fuck. She’s going to be the death of me.” Sighing, he stood straight into the water stream, quickly going through the motions to get himself clean.

Meanwhile, Celeste had been soaking up the warmth of her own shower. She ignored the flash of heat that ran through her belly as she brushed past her nipples with her soapy hands, trying not to picture Raihan’s hands in their place. And she certainly tried not to linger when she was washing between her legs, shivering with the sensation, trying not to picture what it would feel like to have Raihan’s tongue there instead. She quickly let the hot water rinse her off, before toweling off with one of Raihan’s wonderfully fluffy towels. She dug through her bag, finding a pair of sleeping shorts and a tank top to pull on. She toweled out her hair, before throwing it up in a messy bun to deal with later.

When she walked out, Raihan was already moving into his kitchen to make something for dinner. She tried not to drool as she took in his half naked form, sweats sitting dangerously low across his hips. He glanced up, grinning when he caught her staring. “See something you like?” She flushed deep red, choking at being caught. He laughed. “What do you think about pasta? It’s not fancy or anything, but it’s quick enough.”

“First you take me on a picnic while helping me find the Pokémon I need, and then you cook me dinner? I think I might be in love.”

He laughed. “Well, I gotta make my move now, before any of the other Leaders or Challengers catch your eye.”

“Seriously though, Rai. Girls dream about stuff like this.”

He stopped what he was doing, meeting her gaze, eyes serious. “Then stay with me.” Her eyes widened in shock. “I’m already pretty crazy about you. We can take things slow still, but if you stay here, then we’ll be able to see each other that much more. I know when you’re in the other towns on the challenge, you won’t be here, but you certainly could be in between. Hammerlocke is pretty much the center of the region, so you’d be coming back through here multiple times anyway.”

“Rai...what about the press? Aren’t you worried about what they will do?”

He shrugged. “They don’t need to know for now.” He resumed cooking. “Think about it.”

They were both silent as he finished cooking and as they ate. Celeste quietly thanked him before heading for bed. The next morning, she left early. She had wanted to get to Motostoke early in the day to look for the Hatenna she needed to fill out her team. She sent him a text before she lost service heading into the Wild Area near Motostoke’s outskirts.

_Sorry I left without waking you this am. Wanted to get to Motostoke early to find a Hatenna. I’m still thinking about what you said last night. I’ll see you tonight?_ 👑

She smiled as she added the little crown. Since he always called her Princess, she thought it was appropriate. She looked at her phone when a response came through.

_No worries. I figured as much. See ya tonight, Princess._ 🐉

She smiled when she read the text and giggled when he copied her idea with a dragon. Putting her phone away, she set off. It took a couple hours before she finally found one. The little Hatenna was a bit skittish, but very quickly warmed up to her. She named her Aura. Now that she had her team, she could get to training. She switched out the appropriate Pokémon and let them all out together.

“Okay everyone! Let’s get acquainted.” Loki and Anubis looked at the three new Pokémon and then back to Celeste. She nodded before continuing. “We’ve got about a week to go before the Gym Challenge starts up. Loki and Anubis have both been through the equivalent, so they are going to show the rest of you the ropes. Juno, the first Gym we’ll be facing is a Grass-type Gym, so you will be taking the brunt of the battle there.” The Scorbunny chirped in response. “That doesn’t mean that the rest of you will get to slack off. Since Anubis and Loki are so experienced, I want to try to avoid using them for the Gym battles themselves. I want to give the rest of you a chance to get to their level. So, let’s get to it!”

She spent the rest of the day helping Loki and Anubis coach the younger Pokémon. Juno was picking up things very quickly and was quick to help the others. Apollo certainly needed to build his confidence. Morpheus was actually a fairly quick study, especially if he knew he would get Sitrus berries if he was able to get something correct consistently. Aura was quieter, preferring to watch at first until Celeste sat down next to her. “I think you’d get along with the others just fine, ya know.” She looked at the little Hatenna. “We all have to start somewhere. Loki and Anubis were both where you are, once. Look at them now.” Aura turned back toward the others; a feeble cry escaped her before she finally made to join the others. She continued to supervise the training for the day. Calling out things to try and things to change as she watched them work. Anubis and Loki were patient with their new teammates, as much as she could tell that they were frustrated with the younger, far less experienced Pokémon. They continued late into the afternoon before Celeste finally called it quits. “Okay everyone! Great job today. Let’s head back for the day.” She quickly recalled all of the younger Pokémon before addressing her oldest companions. “Thank you both for being so patient with them. It won’t be long before they’re up to snuff.” She patted them both before returning them as well. She stopped back at the Pokémon center before hailing a Corviknight taxi to take her back to Hammerlocke.

As the taxi slowly flew through the sky, she finally thought more about what Raihan had offered her last night. She really hadn’t been looking for anything serious when she first agreed to let him take her to lunch, but there was just something about him that kept making her say yes. She could certainly see the appeal of having his house to come back to throughout the challenge. And so far, he had treated her like nothing but royalty since he met her. She felt her face heat up as she thought about it. Finally, she texted him as they were closing in on Hammerlocke.

_You home? Or at the Gym?_ 👑

_Still at the Gym. Probably will be for an hour or so still._ 🐉

The taxi landed at the main entrance to the city. She glanced at her phone as Raihan’s response had come in as they landed. Smiling, she pocketed her phone before heading for the Gym.

One of the League staff stopped her after she entered. “I’m sorry miss, the Gym won’t be taking challengers for another week, when the Challenge season starts.”

She shook her head. “I’m not here to challenge, yet. I’m here to see Raihan.”

He crossed his arms. “I’m afraid I can’t let you through without approval from Leader Raihan and seeing as how I haven’t been told about any visitors, you’ll have to leave.”

She frowned, picking up her phone and dialing. “Hey Princess. What’s up?”

She sent a look at the staff member. “Wanna tell your staffer to let me in?”

He cursed. “Shit. Sorry. Be there in a sec.”

She hung up the phone, quickly pocketing it. Sure enough, within about a minute, Raihan appeared at the door further inside. “Let her through.”

He inclined his head. “Apologies miss.”

She waved her hand as she passed. “Not the first time something like that's happened.” She met Raihan at the door. He opened it, gesturing her to enter.

“Sorry about that. Didn’t know you were coming. I’ll make sure everyone knows to let you in whenever you come by from now on.”

She shrugged. “At least he was nicer about it, I guess.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, rude staffers don’t last long. Sets a bad image.” He threw an arm over her shoulder. “Good day training?”

She smiled. “Yeah. Caught the final member of my team and got in a good start to training. Since you said you’d be awhile, I thought I’d come by and hang out while I waited for you. Especially since I thought about what you said last night.”

He cocked his head to the side. “And?”

She blushed. “And, I think I’d like that. If you’ll really have me, that is.”

He tightened his arm around her shoulders. “I wouldn’t have said so if I wasn’t serious, Princess. I want you.” He kissed her temple before releasing her as they entered the pitch.

She took a seat on the pitch next to the doorway. Raihan’s gym trainers looked her direction, questioningly. One of them spoke up. “Um, boss?”

Raihan shot him down before he could ask. “Nothing for you to worry about. She’s with me. Get used to seeing her around, but be quiet about it. Got it?”

She watched as Raihan put his gym trainers through the ringer. They were all exhausted by the time they finished. As they left the gym and made for his house, they picked up take-out. They chatted about their days, Celeste going into detail about starting training for her new Pokémon. Raihan offered to let her train with him at the Gym, which she politely declined. She needed to do her training her own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of the steamy bits there in the beginning. 😏 But we're still early on, so more will come....later.
> 
> Celeste finally has her full team! We'll be heading into the Opening Ceremony next.


	10. The Challenge Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, 900 hits. I wouldn't have thought that this would get that much attention when I first started posting it. 😊😊😊😊 Thanks everyone for continuing to read!
> 
> Also there is a little bit of warning for language in the chapter.

For the rest of the week, she kept closer to Hammerlocke so she would waste less time travelling back and forth. She was quite pleased with the results of training, as all of her new Pokémon were coming along nicely. She felt like Juno would probably be ready to evolve after the first Gym. The others would likely take longer, but that was to be expected. Finally, the opening ceremony was coming. She and Raihan flew to Motostoke the day before so she could get registered. The staffer gaped at her when she showed them her endorsement letter. She was feeling cheeky when they asked her what number she wanted her uniform to have and told the man with a completely straight face. “01.” Since it wasn’t exactly the same as Leon’s, they had to allow it. What better way to let Leon know she was coming for him than to edge in on his number? She frowned at the style of the uniform before leaving for her hotel room.

That night, she did a quick search to make sure there were no rules against what she was planning to do to her uniform. Based on the way the gym leaders altered their own uniforms, she couldn’t see anything wrong with it, as long as her number was still visible. She pulled out a pair of scissors and went to work. She started with the sleeves. Terrible, restricting sleeves that weren’t her hoodie’s sleeves. They had to go. She cut a V shape into the neck to imitate her cropped tank. And finally, she cropped the bottom, and changed it so it hugged her figure. Satisfied, she set to work on the shorts. She quickly shortened them to a more acceptable level, moving the number up so it was still there. Like the top, she pulled everything tighter. Her adjustments needed a bit of refinement, but they would do for the opening ceremony at least. She smiled to herself. If she was going to have to wear a stupid uniform, she would at least make it match her own style.

The next morning, she got to the stadium a bit early so she could take time to look around. When she was ready, she got directions to the locker room. Most of the challengers were already there. She ignored them, and the whispers that started up when she arrived and set to work changing. As she adjusted her Pokémon on her hip, she continued to ignore the other challengers as she made for the pitch. The opening ceremony was about to begin. She certainly didn’t want to miss it. She smirked as she caught one of the league staff frowning at the alterations to her uniform. They had all of the challengers waiting in the entrance while the ceremony began. She watched the screen as Chairman Rose began his speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I am Rose, chairman of the Pokémon League! I know that everyone gathered here, and everyone watching at home have all been waiting for this big moment! It is my pleasure to announce that the Galar region Gym Challenge will now begin!” The crowd cheered loudly. “Yes, the Gym Challenge! Participants must defeat the ten Gym Leaders!” Celeste’s brow rose. She didn’t remember there being 10 Gyms when she left, but she had been gone from Galar for a long time. “And gather all of the gym badges to prove their skills as a trainer! Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging the greatest Champion in history!” She rolled her eyes at that. “Now, I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to show themselves!” Celeste smiled when she spotted Raihan, striding out at the head of the Leaders, confident as always. “The fighting farmer! Here’s the Grass-type expert, Milo! The raging wave! It’s the master of Water types, Nessa! The ever-burning man of fire! Here comes the Fire-type veteran, Kabu! The Galar karate prodigy! Nobody’s better with Fighting types than Bea! The silent boy of mystery! Allister, friend to Ghost types! The master of a fantastic theater! It’s the charming Fairy-type user, Opal! The hard-rock crusher! Please welcome the Rock-type master, Gordie! The ice-cold professional! Please welcome the Ice-type master, Melony! And last, but not least, the tamer of dragons…It’s Raihan, the top Gym Leader!” She snorted as he took one of his famous selfies, earning her a few glares from other challengers. She simply rolled her eyes and continued watching. “Unfortunately, we are missing one, but these are the Gym Leaders that we in the Galar region are proud to call our own! And now, for this year’s challengers!”

With that, they slowly stepped onto the pitch. The crowd was going wild. She took a moment to take it all in, as the environment was so different than what she was used to in Kalos. She thought she heard cheers of her name, and simply smiled as she continued to where they were told to line up across from the Gym Leaders. She caught Raihan’s eye and shot him a wink. He grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her, causing her to roll her eyes in response. She tuned out a bit for what little was left of the opening ceremony, only paying attention again once everyone turned to leave the pitch. The challengers all went back to the locker room to change into their regular clothes. Again, she felt the looks and heard the whispers, and again she ignored them. Hop was waiting for her outside.

“Standing there on the pitch, in the stadium, in front of everyone! There’s really no words for it but, I can barely contain myself! My heart’s racing!”

She laughed at his enthusiasm. “You get used to things like that pretty quickly. Trust me.”

He scoffed. “You’re almost as bad as Lee.”

About that time, Leon walked up to them with Rose at his side. He quickly shook their hands. “So, you’re the two trainers our Champion endorsed himself! Welcome, and it’s a delight to meet you!” He focused on Celeste. “Even more so in your case, Champion Celeste.”

She laughed. “Former Champion, Chairman. I’m afraid I currently can’t claim the title of Champion.” She shot a wicked glance at Leon. “At least not yet.”

Rose laughed. “And I see you both already possess Dynamax bands. How wonderful. It seems you both have been led here by the guiding light of the wishing stars. By the way, it was my wonderful company that invented those Dynamax bands, you know.” Celeste’s eyes narrowed just a hair. She’d heard enough over the top preening from Lysandre, that she could recognize it easily. Her change in expression went unnoticed as Rose continued. “I daresay this year’s Gym Challenge is looking to be an absolute blast! Very good. Very good indeed. That means the whole Galar region is in for some excitement. Please make sure to do your best, for the sake of Galar’s future! Now, I’m terribly sorry, but there is some urgent business I need to attend to, so I must be on my way. The best of luck to both of you.” With that, he walked away.

Leon remained behind with them. He chuckled. “The chairman certainly seems to be in high spirits.”

Celeste frowned before turning back to him. “Lee, no offense, but am I really the only one getting the whole ‘criminal mastermind’ vibe from the chairman?”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“The whole shameless self-promotion. Bragging about his company, to two strangers.” She raised her hands up making air quotes. “‘Do your best for the sake of Galar’s future.’” She shrugged. “I’m just saying, sounds pretty criminal mastermind-y to me. I heard an awful lot of talk from Lysandre that sounded a lot like that, so I kinda know what I’m talking about.”

“Celeste, don’t be ridiculous. I have known the chairman for a few years now. There’s just no way.”

She shrugged again. “Whatever you say, Lee.” She pointed her finger in his face. “But don’t blame me if I end up saying ‘I told you so.’.”

About that time, Raihan joined them. He draped an arm over Celeste’s shoulder. “Nice uniform.” He laughed. “I bet the league staff was dying when they saw your alterations.”

She giggled. “I looked. There wasn’t anything that explicitly said I couldn’t alter it. Just that the number couldn’t be covered.”

He pulled her a bit closer. “Don’t get me wrong, I like it.” She elbowed him in retaliation, causing him to yelp. “Hey! It’s not nice to hit the guy that’s taking you to a party.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “What party?”

“The party all the Gym Leaders have at the kickoff of the Challenge season. Normally it would just be us Leaders and Leon, but I figure I should introduce the Leaders to my girlfriend. Ya know, the one that is going to wipe them all out.” He grinned.

She poked him in the ribs. “Don’t forget to include yourself in the group getting wiped out.” She laughed at his expression of mock hurt.

“Hop, you’ll come too, since you’re family.” Leon piped up, shooting his friend a look.

Raihan ignored him. “Meet me back in front of the Gym in a few hours.” He let her go finally and left to go talk with the waiting press.

Leon’s face was unreadable as he watched Celeste look after his friends retreating form. “Alright. I’ll see you guys later. Hop, I’ll come get you for the party.” With that he followed after Raihan.

Once the press finished up with the Gym Leaders and Leon, they all went their separate ways to prepare for the party. Raihan looked at his phone expectantly when it dinged, only to be disappointed when he saw it was Leon. He opened the message and frowned.

_So….girlfriend huh? What happened to waiting a while?_

He typed a quick response.

_Well….it just kinda….happened?_

_Bullshit. I know you better than that._

_What is THAT supposed to mean? Why are you assuming this is all me???_

_….Do I really need to answer that?_ 😑😑😑

_Alright. Jeez. So, while we were at lunch in Wedgehurst, we were talking about her team. She asked about finding a couple Dragon types, so I told her where she could find them. She’s the one that made it into another date._

_Second date doesn’t automatically = girlfriend_

_Um….don’t be mad?_

_WTF did you DO????_

_Maybe invited her to stay with me…._

_…._

_On a semi-permanent basis?_

_WHAT IN THE LITERAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU??????????_

He groaned as he read the angry text. It was quickly followed by another.

 _I SWEAR TO ARCEUS IF YOU HURT HER RAIHAN,_ 🔪🔪💣💣🔫🔫🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪💀💀💀💀💀💀

He sighed at the excessive use of violent emojis before sending one last response.

_I have NO intention of doing that, Leon. She’s different._

He took the lack of response as acceptance and moved to get himself ready for the party. After all, he had a Princess to look good for. He smiled to himself at the thought, fully realizing how ridiculous he looked in the process.

A few hours later, Celeste found herself back in front of Motostoke’s stadium. Apparently, the party was happening in one of the staff areas and was catered by the chairman. Raihan had insisted that she switch her hoodie out for a leather jacket. He’d bought it for her before the opening ceremony and it actually fit her perfectly. She was getting ready to start pacing when he finally walked up. “Hey there, Princess. You look good.” He smiled as he leaned in to kiss her temple. She simply blushed in response. “C’mon, let’s go. It’ll be forever before Leon shows up. You know how he is.”

She sighed as she shook her head. “You would think that he would grow out of it eventually, and finally learn his way around.”

He took her hand and they headed inside. They had just entered the room when a screech reverberated across the room, causing the pair to flinch. “RAIHAN! How could you be late, again!” Melony walked over, hands on her hips as she scolded him. “And since when do you bring company?” At that, she paused, looking closer at the two of them. “Wait.” She giggled. “No way.” She turned to the others. “Hey guys, check this out! Raihan’s actually got himself a girlfriend!”

Gordie scoffed. “Right. Get serious, mom.”

Nessa laughed. “More like he’s just got a new toy. He’ll get bored soon enough.”

Celeste raised a brow at that and sent him a look that had him sweating. He dropped his voice. “I swear it’s not what it sounds like. I’ll explain later, okay? Don’t get mad, Princess.”

A quiet voice echoed. “She’s a challenger.”

A few of the other Leaders glanced at Allister before returning their focus to her. Milo spoke first. “Huh, well what do you know, she is. I remember you now. You’re the one who already altered her uniform.”

Raihan’d had enough by then. “Guys, seriously.” He shook his head. “This is Celeste. And yes, Melony, she’s my girlfriend.”

Kabu perked up then. “Celeste? I recognize you now. You’re the former Champion of the Kalos region.”

She laughed. “Yeah, that’s me. Nice to meet all of you.”

Raihan chuckled. “Yeah. I just wanted you all to meet her now, before she comes through and destroys you during the challenge.”

She poked him in the ribs. “Rai. Be nice. They don’t need to hear that.”

He held up his hands. “How am I not being nice? It’s true.” She poked him again. “C’mon, Princess, stop.”

“Not until you stop telling people how I’m going to destroy them. Especially when you forget to include yourself in that category. Every time. When you’ve already lost to me once.”

“That was just for fun!”

She put her hands on her hips and cocked one hip to the side. “Oh really? Then maybe I should get the rest of my original team out of storage and we go for real? Are you that eager to lose Rai?” The challenge in her tone was clear. ‘Put-up or shut-up.’

“I take it back. She’s not the toy, Raihan is! I never thought I’d see the day!” Nessa’s laugh nearly became a cackle.

Eventually, they all got their bickering out of their systems and things mellowed out. A couple hours after Celeste and Raihan had arrived, Leon finally showed, Hop in tow, looking sheepish about the time. They all took it in stride, as it was expected of Leon at this point. Over the course of the night, she learned that while there were ten Gym Leaders, there were still only eight Gyms. Over the last several years, they had added in the additional Leaders to make things more competitive. The Gyms in Stow-on-Side and Circhester both had two Gym Leaders to challenge. They drank until late in the night, finally staggering off in one direction or another. Raihan was walking her back to her hotel. He went so far as to walk her to her door. When they got there, she turned her back to the door, facing him as he leaned over her a bit. “I haven’t seen you get worked up like that before.” He grinned. “It was hot.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Now are you going to kiss me or not?”

“Anything for you, Princess.”

His mouth was hot on hers, demanding. She quickly gasped into the kiss, and he was quick to take advantage. Before she could really catch up, he was pulling away, nipping at her lower lip as went. He rested his forehead against hers. “You have no idea how badly I want to take this further. But not when we’ve both been drinking.” Her eyes met his, and for a moment, he almost ignored what he had just said. He quickly kissed her again before completely pulling away. “Goodnight, Princess.”

“Night, Rai.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like they made it so obvious that Rose and Oleana were up to no good in the game. And since Celeste has already dealt with Lysandre and Team Flare's bullshit, she can call it easily.
> 
> And yeah, before Celeste, Raihan would have had to have been a bit of a playboy. I mean, look at him. So of course Leon and Nessa are gonna call him out.


	11. A Challenge Within A Challenge

The next morning, she set out early heading back down into the Wild Area to continue training. She wanted to start working her team back and forth in different combinations to get them used to different types of attacks. As she watched her team, she started thinking about what she would need to beat the first three Gyms. Milo would be easy; Juno would be able to handle whatever he threw at her. Kabu also likely wouldn’t be a problem, since by the time she got back to Motostoke, she expected that Apollo would be able to handle things. Nessa would be difficult though. She expected that by the time Apollo would be fully evolved, that he would learn a Grass-type attack, but she needed something in the meantime. She pulled out her pokedex, scrolling through the list of Grass-type attacks, and what she could possibly teach one of her other Pokémon to be able to handle Nessa’s Water-types. She frowned as she scrolled through the list, until she hit upon a solution. She happened to have the technical machine that would let her teach Aura Magical Leaf. It wasn’t the most powerful move she could learn when fully evolved, but it would do. She called the little Hatenna over. “Aura, dear, come over here.” When she was sitting in front of her, she smiled. “I was thinking, about how we would combat Nessa’s Water-types when we get to Hulbury. And I think I have a solution. Would you like to learn to use Magical Leaf? I think it would be good experience for you to battle in Hulbury. What do you think?”

She could see that Aura was thinking about it. She glanced back at the others, before turning back to Celeste and letting out a cry. “Alright. Let me find it now.” She dug through her bag, before she finally found the item. “Here you go. Take some time to learn it, then we’ll try it out with the others, okay?” Aura let out another cry before settling off to the side. Celeste kept an eye on her as she worked on trying to learn the move. As the day was coming to an end, and Celeste was starting to set up her camp for the night, she finally cried out as she was able to release the move. “That was wonderful, Aura. Let’s get some rest, and we’ll work on it more tomorrow.”

They had eaten, and they were all turning in for the night, when her phone dinged. She quickly read the text from Raihan.

 _Hey Princess, where are you?_ 🐉

She smiled before she sent her response.

 _I’m camped in the Wild Area, near Motostoke. Doing some training for the next several days before we head over to Turffield._ 👑

 _Not coming back to Hammerlocke?_ 😢 🐉

 _Not sure when I’ll be back. I’m thinking it’ll be about a week before I beat Milo. Maybe I’ll come back for at least a few days_ then? 👑

 _I’ll be waiting. Miss you already._ 🐉

💗 _Same._ 👑

💗💗 🐉

She giggled as she looked at his last text for the night before she laid back, arms behind her head before falling asleep.

The next few days she amped up their training. Aura was taking some time to get used to her new move, so she held her in reserve, but for Juno, Apollo, and Morpheus, she was pushing hard. She would take them to various dens and have Loki flush out the wild Pokémon for them to battle. Anubis and Loki would then hang back, only stepping in if the others were getting overwhelmed. After several days of this, they were all getting quicker at reacting to her instructions. Moving more efficiently as a team. Satisfied with where they were at, she headed back into Motostoke to get a room at the Pokémon center for the night, before heading off to Turffield.

Route 3 made for some good training as well. There were a handful of trainers along the route that kept stopping her for challenges. Her team struggled a few times but came out on top each time. With as many battles as she had, Route 3 took her almost an entire day to traverse. She took another day to traverse the mine and then another for Route 4 before crashing at Turffield’s Pokémon center the night before making her challenge. Raihan had texted her each night, asking how her training was going, telling her about his own training, and frequently telling her that he missed her. The only thing that had happened that was even remotely exciting was a battle she had with another challenger. The kid had been sponsored by Chairman Rose and was an arrogant little snot. He came at her with a team of straight Psychic types, which Morpheus obliterated with a combination of his current Ghost and Dark type moves. The kid then had the audacity to tell her that he had gone easy on her, but wouldn’t do so in the future. She simply rolled her eyes and continued on her way.

When she entered the Gym, she gave the reception desk her Challenger info. They directed her to the locker room to change into her uniform to start the Gym mission. When she asked about it, unfamiliar with the term, they explained that each Gym had a set of smaller challenges for trainers to navigate before they could challenge the Gym Leader. It helped the Leaders make sure that the Challengers had certain qualities before they would battle them. Once she changed, one of the staffers directed her to a smaller area off of the main pitch. The first Gym mission? Wooloo herding.

She sighed as she looked at the area in front of her. Not only was she supposed to herd a group of Wooloo across a couple different areas, there were Gym trainers waiting in each section. She tilted her head as she examined the area before shrugging, calling out one of her team. “Anubis.” The Lucario tilted his head after he looked at the scene in front of him. “So, we’re supposed to herd these Wooloo through the different areas. I need Juno to stay fresh to battle the Gym trainers, and then Milo. Would you mind giving me a hand?” He let out a huff before nodding. She quickly directed him to one side while she took the other, driving the sheep Pokémon easily through the first area. Things started to get a bit trickier after that, as there were now Yamper running around in the different areas. After a few sets of instructions, they were able to move the herd through the second section with little difficulty. She asked Anubis to keep the herd still before moving into the third section, so she could battle the Gym trainer. He only had a single Pokémon for her to battle, a Gossifleur, which Juno was quick to defeat with a well-timed Flame Charge.

The second Gym trainer had a Budew and an Oddish, both of which were handled as easily as the first trainer’s Gossifleur. The third and final Gym trainer wasn’t much more difficult with their Bounsweet and Oddish. As they pushed the Wooloo through the final gate, she quickly recalled Anubis after tossing him a Grepa berry as a reward. His muzzle twitched with the sweet and sour taste that he loved so much. The staffers then led her to the entrance to the pitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that TM’s only exist in the games, but for the sake of the story, they are going to exist here. I picture that the way they would work is that they would plug into the phone and be like a virtual demonstration of the move, kind of like a Pokémon version of a YouTube tutorial. The Pokémon learning the move would still need a lot of practice to be able to make it work and then master it, but at least making it more ‘realistic’ than just handing over a disc and all of the sudden your Pokémon knows a certain move perfectly.
> 
> I had to split Turffield's Gym, otherwise this chapter would have been a beast. The battle with Milo is next!


	12. A Flurry of Grass, A Flash of Fire

Milo had his hands on his hips when she walked into his stadium. “I’m surprised you waited this long to make your challenge. I thought I would see you right off the bat. Don’t tell me the former Champ is afraid of me, of all people?”

She cocked her head to the side. “I’m surprised you even know how to trash-talk, Milo. I thought you were supposed to be the wholesome farmer? The man to ease the kiddie’s fears as they head off into the world?”

“Not for someone of your reputation, Celeste.”

“Ooh. Careful, Milo. I would think that you would know better than to play with fire.”

“Show me how good you really are, then. Normally this would be a two-on-two battle, but for you, I’ll make an exception. We’ll go four-on-four.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Bring it on.”

“Gossifleur!”

“Juno!”

“Rapid Spin!”

“Don’t give it a chance! Flame Charge!” The attack left the Grass-type staggering to stay standing. “Finish it with Double Kick!” Juno’s speed was too much, and before Milo could even call out his next attack, Gossifleur was down.

“Eldegoss! Magical Leaf!”

“Ember to counter!” The fire attacks cancelled out most of Milo’s attack. A few leaves made it through, but they barely fazed Juno.

“Leafage!”

“Flame Charge!” Juno burst right through the center of the attack, landing a critical hit against Eldegoss. “Finish it with Ember!”

Milo was frowning as he recalled his second Pokémon while Celeste was still on her first. He had to admit that her Scorbunny was well trained. He had watched as it had battled all three of his Gym trainers, on its own, and still after beating two of his own Pokémon, barely seemed fazed. He frowned as he reached for his next Pokémon, digging into his finals team a bit.

“Shiftry! Use Leaf Blade!”

“Dodge with Flame Charge, then use Double Kick!” Celeste knew that he had just stepped things up. Her eyes narrowed as her mind raced through her strategy.

“Follow up with Throat Chop!”

“Counter with Double Kick!” Her call was just a hair slow, and Shiftry’s attack hit Juno full on, sending her flying. “Juno!” She called, the Scorbunny skidded to a stop, shaking herself off. “You can beat it. Remember our training. Combo Ember, Flame Charge, and then Double Kick.”

“Hit it with another Throat Chop, followed by Leaf Blade!”

Juno fired off the Ember attacks at Shiftry’s face, interrupting it’s focus. It then used Flame Charge to get up close before firing off its Double Kick. The Grass/Dark dual type staggered, before falling to its knees and passing out. Celeste eyed Juno carefully. The rabbit Pokémon was breathing hard. She wasn’t sure if she would make it through one more Pokémon. She started thinking how she would be able to counter Milo’s final Pokémon if Juno fell. She didn’t really have anyone else with a type advantage. She frowned when he called out his final Pokémon.

“Flapple! Dragon Rush!”

“Dodge it!” But Juno was too tired, and the attack landed square, sending her flying, this time, landing flat on the ground. “Juno!” She struggled to her feet, but Milo was on the attack, looking to defeat Juno before he Dynamaxed.

“Seed Bomb!” Before Juno could move to dodge, the attack hit again, sending her back to the ground. Celeste started to reach for her pokeball as Juno struggled to rise to her feet again.

“Juno, that’s enough, let one of the others take over now!” Before she could recall her, Juno made it to her feet, letting out a cry before bright light surrounded her and her form began to change. When the light faded, she was no longer a Scorbunny, but a grumpy Raboot, frowning across at her opponent. Celeste chuckled, pokeball still in hand. “Alright then, if that’s how it’s going to be, let’s Dynamax!”

She called her back into her pokeball, only for the glow from her Dynamax band to envelop the ball, making it grow to be the size of a soccer ball. She turned, tossing the ball behind her, releasing her partner to fill the stadium with her now-giant form.

“I guess we’ll do the same then!” Milo called before he called his Flapple back to Dynamax as well.

Celeste was waiting for it to emerge, her next command sitting on her tongue. “Max Flare!”

“Max Wyrmwind!”

Both attacks landed critical hits, but Celeste knew that she would be able to finish things now. “Again!”

Juno fired off the attack immediately, before Milo could react, ending the match, finally.

He returned his fallen Pokémon as Juno reverted back to her normal size. Celeste gave her a scratch between the ears before returning her to her pokeball. She made for the center of the pitch where Milo was waiting with a smile. “You really are something, taking down four of my Pokémon with just your one. No wonder Raihan was so confident you would destroy all of us during the Challenge.”

She smiled as she shook his hand. “I was a bit worried there at the end. The only reason I was able to finish with Juno is because she evolved.”

“Which in itself is quite an achievement, to have a Pokémon evolve mid battle like that.”

She shrugged then. “Actually, I’ve had it happen several times. With the way I train my team, they usually are close enough, that if we are at a disadvantage during a battle, they find a way to push through and end up evolving.”

He laughed. “Well, here is your Grass Badge. I’ll make sure to warn the others not to underestimate you.”

She thanked him before leaving the pitch to change back into her regular clothes. She had kept the leather jacket that Raihan had given her and had switched her hoodie out for it. She shouldn’t have been, but she was surprised when there was a huge amount of press outside the Gym. “Celeste! Is it true that you are the former Champion of the Kalos region?”

She nodded. “Yep. I was the Champion there for four years.”

“What made you want to do the Gym Challenge?”

“Well, I grew up with Leon before my family moved to Kalos. I had come back for a vacation, and he talked me into it.”

“How did you feel after your loss to Champion Diantha?”

“Well, I was disappointed of course. But Diantha was a great Champion before I took over, and she’ll be a great Champion again. I couldn’t have left the league in better hands.”

“Why did you choose the number that you did for your uniform?”

She chuckled. “Ah, well. I wanted to let Leon know that while he may be number 1 for now, he won’t be for long. Think of it as a direct challenge to him.”

She held up her hands before they could continue with the questions. “I appreciate your interest in me, really. But I do have to tend to my Pokémon and get moving. I’ll see you all after I beat Nessa! Bye!” She turned and headed for the Pokémon center, ignoring their cries to answer just one more question. As soon as Juno had been taken care of, she called for a taxi to take her back to Hammerlocke. Raihan texted her while she was in the air.

 _Saw the match. Congrats. You coming home?_ 🐉

Her heart fluttered when she read the message.

 _Yeah, in a taxi now. See ya soon._ 💗💗 👑

 _I’ll be waiting. Hungry?_ 🐉

 _Starving. You_ _cooking?_ 👑

 _Of course, Princess._ 🐉

 _Whatcha makin?_ 👑

 _You’ll see._ 💗💗 🐉

 _Tease._ 😝 👑

It was nearly dark when the taxi landed in Hammerlocke. She thanked the cabbie and then quickly made for Raihan’s house. She let herself in, setting her bag down in the living room as she announced her arrival. “Rai! I’m back!” She took a long sniff as she walked toward the kitchen. “That smells amazing.”

“Well it’s not quite ready yet.” He walked over, wrapping her in his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I missed you.”

She snuggled into his chest, instantly relaxing. “Mmm. Me too.”

He laughed, releasing her. “Go change really quick. By then, food should be done.”

When she came back out, he was just setting plates down on the table. The steaks were juicy. The veggies were steamed to perfection, and the potatoes were perfect to wrap everything up. Raihan quickly cleaned up and had her switch on the television. “Wanna watch the commentary on your battle? Ought to be good. Especially your interview.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure.” She plopped herself down on the couch, shifting only when he sat down next to her. She curled into his side as he draped an arm over her shoulders.

As they watched the battle, she groaned with the commentary. “I can’t believe some of this garbage. Do they really believe anything they’re saying?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve heard worse following one of mine and Leon’s battles. But I think they’re being harder on you because you’re a former Champion, and even more so because Milo altered his typical battle format just for you.”

“He only did that to try to have a chance of winning against me.”

“I know. But they don’t understand that. It’s probably going to earn you some flak from various fan bases.”

About that time, they were starting the commentary regarding her post-victory interview. There was a lot of speculation about her presence in the Gym Challenge, but nothing concrete that would be concerning. They sat there for a few hours, flipping through channels, until Raihan glanced down at Celeste. At some point, she had fallen asleep against him. He switched the tv off before gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Carefully, trying not to wake her, he picked her up and carried her to bed. He tried to set her down in her own bed, but before he could, she snuggled deeper against him, hand coming up to curl against his chest. He groaned quietly. “You really are gonna be the death of me, Princess.” Sighing, he turned and headed for his own bed. He carefully pulled back the covers, setting her down as much as she would allow before climbing in bed next to her. He pulled the covers back up and turned to make himself more comfortable. He shifted her so she would be laying more on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around behind her, with her hand across his chest. He rested his free hand behind his head and sighed, closing his eyes.


	13. The Early Bird Gets the Win?

Celeste woke briefly, early the next morning. She blinked a few times before she realized where she was. Her eyes widened briefly with the realization, but then relaxed when she noticed that she was still in her pjs. Yawning, she snuggled against his chest again, reveling in the warmth that he provided. He shifted with her touch, but remained asleep, simply pulling her a bit tighter against him. It wasn’t very long before she fell back asleep.

She woke a bit later to the sound of her phone ringing. Groaning, she sat up, looking around for the offending device. “Rotom, where are you?” She called, groggy. The device floated over to her. Seeing the caller ID, she answered with a yawn frowning at the video call. “Hop, why are you calling me so early?”

“It’s like 930, sis! What do you mean early?”

Raihan rolled over, groaning into the pillow next to her. “Too early and too noisy.”

“Who was that?”

She rubbed her eyes. “None of your business. Now spit it out, what do you want?”

“I got my Grass badge! I wanted to show you, and to see if I could battle you.”

She yawned again. “Are you still in Turffield?” At his excited nod she sighed. “Alright. I’ll have to get a taxi, but I’ll meet you there.” She clicked the phone off.

Raihan peeled open an eye to look at her. “Leaving already?” He mumbled mostly into his pillow.

She yawned again, stretching. “Apparently.” She tilted her head to the side. “So, not that I’m complaining or anything, but why am I in your bed?”

He rolled to his side, propping himself up on one arm. “You fell asleep on me. I tried to put you in your own bed, but you wouldn’t let go.” He let a sleepy grin come to his face.

She blushed lightly. “Well, I can’t say that I don’t enjoy waking up to this.” She gestured at him lazily, before leaning over and kissing his cheek. “But I suppose I do need to go.” With that, she pulled away, rolling off the bed and making for her room to dig through her bag to change. He was just getting up finally when she walked out, bag over her shoulder. She stretched up on her toes to kiss him, before leaving.

Thankfully, there was a coffee shop between Raihan’s and where she would get her taxi. She cradled her caffeine between her hands as she was flown back to Turffield. Hop was waiting outside of the Pokémon center, bouncing from foot to foot as she approached. “What took you so long?”

She sighed. “Take it easy there, turbo. Remember, you woke me up. And it takes a minute for the taxi to get from Hammerlocke to here.”

He paused then. “Why were you in Hammerlocke?”

She put a hand on her hip. “Like I told you when you woke me up, none of your business. Now, you wanted to battle me, right?”

He started bouncing again. “Yes! Please?!”

She started to walk to the training court that was behind the Pokémon center. “Alright, c’mon. Just don’t get upset if you don’t beat me.”

As soon as they were situated on the court, Hop was calling out his Pokémon. “Go! Wooloo!”

“Let’s go Apollo!”

“Wooloo, use Double Kick!”

“Protect, followed by Dragon Breath.” Hop’s Wooloo had obviously gotten stronger, but it still staggered with the hit.

“Tackle!”

“Brace for it, then use Water Gun.” She knew that her Goomy wasn’t great in the speed department, but she knew that he was capable of taking a hit. Wooloo, on the other hand, couldn’t handle another direct hit.

“Shoot. Let’s go Corvisquire! Fury Attack!”

“Protect. Then Dragon Breath again.”

“Peck!”

“You can take it. Then hit it with another Dragon Breath.” Surprisingly, Hop’s Corvisquire was a bit better off than his Wooloo, and withstood the second hit, but it was slow to recover. “Finish it with Water Gun.” Hop frowned as he returned his fallen Pokémon. Celeste knew what Pokémon he would use to finish their battle. “Apollo, good work, return. Go Morpheus.”

“Thwackey! Razor Leaf!”

“Dodge it and use Infestation.” The little Dreepy quickly flitted out of the way before landing its own attack.

“Double Hit!”

“Let it phase through you.” She frowned at Hop then. “Don’t let yourself get flustered just because the battle isn’t going your way. You know that Normal-type attacks don’t affect Pokémon with a Ghost typing, even if it is their secondary typing.”

He scowled with her reprimand before calling out another attack. “Razor Leaf again!”

“Dodge it again and use Bite paired with Infestation.”

Hop recalled his Thwackey in defeat. Celeste pulled out a Sitrus berry for Morpheus. He chirped happily, digging into the berry before she returned him. She crossed her arms as she looked at her little brother. “You may have beaten Milo, but don’t let it get to your head, little bro. You still have a lot to learn about the flow of battle.”

He was frowning. “You and Lee make it look so easy.”

She shook her head. “You need to stop comparing yourself to us. We’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have.” She walked over, pulling him into a hug. “I know you’ll get better at it. Listen to me, I know it sucks when a battle isn’t going your way. That doesn’t mean you can lose your cool. Your Pokémon are relying on you to guide them through with a clear head, even if you lose. Okay?”

He nodded. “It’s hard though, because I want to win so badly.”

“I know. But it doesn’t always come down to winning and losing. Especially early on when you are still learning.” She let him go and headed for the Pokémon center. “C’mon, let’s get everyone healed up.”

Since she’d had to come all the way back over to Turffield to battle Hop, she spent the rest of the day traversing Route 5, battling any trainers she came across, and training hard with her Pokémon. She especially made sure that Aura was getting a good amount of training in, as she would be the main star in Hulbury. She did make it into Hulbury that evening but decided to head back to Hammerlocke to spend the night with Raihan. She wasn’t confident that Aura would be able to handle Nessa alone yet, so she spent another week after that training in the Wild Area before heading back to Hulbury at the end of the third week of the season.


	14. Riding the Waves

The Gym mission for Nessa’s Gym was ridiculous. Just like Milo’s Gym, there were three Gym trainers to defeat. The first had a little Tympole that quickly fell to a single round of Aura’s Magical Leaf. Then Celeste had to work a series of switches, turning various pillars of water off and on to clear the path from one end to the other. The second Gym trainer had a Krabby and a Corpish. They took a little bit more effort for Aura to beat, but still fell to her Magical Leaf. The final Gym trainer had a Remoraid and a Chewtle. They actually weren’t as strong as the second Gym trainer’s Pokémon, so they fell quickly. As soon as Celeste passed through the door at the end of the mission, they were handing her a towel, as the changes in the water pillars ended up leaving her soaked at the end of it. She quickly tended to Aura, using a potion to heal the small amount of damage done by the Gym trainers. She looked at the small Hatenna. “Are you ready for Nessa? I’m sure she won’t make it easy on us.” Aura let out a cry before nestling up against her. “That’s my girl. Let’s do this.”

Nessa sauntered in to meet her at the center of the pitch. “I heard Milo brought out all the stops against you and still lost.”

Celeste shrugged. “Not the first time someone couldn’t beat me. Won’t be the last.”

Nessa frowned. “You’re just as bad as Leon, with that cocky attitude. Let’s see how you do against me, four-on-four.”

“Are you changing things up for me too? I’m so honored.” Celeste teased, causing Nessa to scowl. “Let’s go, Aura!”

Nessa laughed. “Ha! Let’s see how you like this! Goliospod! First Impression!”

“Confusion!” Celeste flinched when Aura cried with the effective hit. She knew that her only chance was to switch her out for Juno, but before she could, Nessa was on the attack again.

“Shadow Claw!”

“Life Dew! Then use Disarming Voice!” She could tell Nessa wasn’t going to give her a chance to switch out. She had to hope that Aura could hold on. Even with the restoring move, she was already struggling to stay standing. Nessa’s Goliospod was tough. She had hoped the initial Confusion attack would actually leave it confused, but things had not gone her way. The Fairy type attack had done some damage, but not nearly enough. “Use Disarming Voice again!”

“Shadow Claw!”

“Aura!” She flinched as her Hatenna struggled to rise. She was reaching for her pokeball when she felt a wave of determination from the Psychic type as she started to glow, her form growing taller and more defined as she evolved into a Hattrem. Without a command, Aura attacked with a far more powerful Fairy-type attack than she had used previously. “Dazzling Gleam.” Celeste whispered.

Goliospod had taken enough damage, that its special ability pulled it from the field, sending out Nessa’s Goldeen in its place. Celeste’s eyes narrowed, ready to capitalize on the change in dynamic. “Magical Leaf!”

“Water Pulse!” Aura was faster and had put all of her effort into the attack, knocking Goldeen out easily.

“Arrokuda! Aqua Jet!”

“Magical Leaf again!” The Water attack landed, but Aura withstood the attack, again managing to knock out Nessa’s Pokémon with one hit.

Frustrated, Nessa called out her Golisopod once again. Celeste was ready to counter it. “Dazzling Gleam!” It had previously taken enough damage from the first Dazzling Gleam that had hit it, that it couldn’t stand up to a second.

Celeste knew that her next Pokémon would be Dynamaxed, so she quickly recalled Aura to her pokeball to do the same. Both she and Nessa released their Dynamaxed Pokémon at the same time. A smile lit up Celeste’s face when she saw that Nessa’s final Pokémon was a Drednaw. As long as Aura scored a direct hit, her Grass-type move should be doubly effective against the dual Rock and Water type. “Max Overgrowth!”

“G-Max Stonesurge!”

There was a clash of energy from the attacks hitting their targets. Aura staggered, barely managing to stay on her feet, while Nessa’s Drednaw was unconscious. Nessa sighed, shaking her head before meeting Celeste in the middle of the pitch to hand her the Water badge. “I can’t believe that I lost after thoroughly trashing your Hatenna to start out with.”

Celeste smiled. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to beat you, before she evolved.”

“Hmph. Well. Kabu is next. I’m guessing you’ve got something up your sleeve for him as well?”

Celeste nodded. “Honestly, between you, Milo, and Kabu, I was most worried about you. I didn’t come in with a distinct advantage. But it all ended up working out anyway.” She lowered her voice, turning off her mic and gesturing for Nessa to do the same. “You don’t happen to have a side or back door that I can use after I change, do you? I’d rather avoid the press today.” Nessa nodded and told her where to go. “Awesome. See ya Nessa.”

After she changed, she sought out the exit that Nessa had told her about. Not wanting to give the press a chance to find her, she ran for the taxi’s quickly telling them where she wanted to go. She sat back and texted Raihan.

 _I managed to avoid the press. On my way back to Hammerlocke now._ 💗 👑

She was a bit surprised when he didn’t send her a response by the time the taxi landed. She made a stop at the Pokémon center to take care of Aura, before stopping to pick up a few groceries. She figured Raihan was probably in the middle of training and decided that she would fix dinner that night. She got to his house and let herself in, moving to put the groceries away first. She headed off to the shower before pulling on her shorts and one of Raihan’s spare uniform tops. Because he was so much taller than she was, it fit pretty loosely. It was probably long enough that she could have worn it without the shorts, so instead, she pulled up the extra material and tied it off with one of her hair ties. It pulled the one side up around the middle of her stomach, while the other side fell down over her hip. She popped in her headphones and set to work in the kitchen. She planned on making some curry, as it had always been one of her favorites, and would take just long enough that she would probably finish as he was getting home.

She was nearly done with the curry when Raihan got home. He had seen her text as he finished training for the day and figured she would already be back. “Hey Princess!” He frowned when she didn’t answer. He prowled further into his house, seeing her back to him in the kitchen, bent over the stove. He couldn’t figure out why she didn’t answer when she moved enough for him to see the headphones. He quietly walked over to her, brow rising when he realized she was wearing one of his uniforms. He took advantage of her empty hands and wrapped an arm around her from behind. He couldn’t help his laughter when she let out a screech, spoon coming around for his face before she realized it was him.

She pulled out her headphones and frowned. “That was mean. And here I was, making you dinner.” Her frown turned into a pout. “I guess I’ll just have to give it all to my team.”

He was still chuckling a bit. “Aw. C’mon babe. It wasn’t that bad. You would have done the same to me?” She held her pout for a few moments before she finally relented and sighed before turning back to the stove. He ran a finger over her exposed side. “I like this.” He kissed the top of her head before lowering his mouth down next to her ear. “I especially like that you’re in my clothes.” His voice dropped lower, his breath against her neck sending a shiver down her spine.

“Keep it up, and you’ll make me ruin dinner.” Her words were breathy.

“Who needs dinner? When I’ve got dessert right in front of me?” He kissed her neck, nipping lightly with his sharp teeth, eliciting a squeak from her. He spun them around, turning her to face him as he did, before lifting her up to sit on the counter opposite the stove. It put her almost perfectly at his height as he pulled her in for a heated kiss, easily urging her tongue to meet his. He pulled back, dropping his face to trail kisses down her neck. She was burying her hands in his hair when they both started to smell something burning.

“Shit! Dinner!” She practically flew off of the counter to the stove, turning the heat off and pulling the pot off of the burner, but it was too late. She scraped the bottom of the pot coming up with a thick layer of burnt crisp. Wrinkling her nose, she set the pot off to the side to cool. She turned to face him, hands on her hips. “Satisfied? I told you that dinner would be ruined.”

He sent her a wolfish grin before laying a kiss on her cheek. “Worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've got a few chapters left before I'm all caught up with what I currently have written. I got sick New Years eve and am only just now starting to get back to normal. Being sick has given me some wicked writers block, so I'll probably post the next couple chapters a bit more slowly in the hopes that I can get some inspiration going again. Even if I do slow down quite a bit, never fear, I am determined to see Raihan's and Celeste's story through to the end, especially since I think I've got a pretty good ending coming. Just that pesky middle of the story that I have to finish filling in still. Thanks for the ongoing love of their story! 💗💗💗


	15. A Fool's Arrogance

She spent the next three weeks training hard with most of her focus on Apollo. She was hoping that during that time, she would get him advanced enough to evolve into a Sliggoo, before challenging Kabu, as she was sure he would need the increased speed to last through the battle. She also wanted him to be able to develop his Water Gun into Water Pulse to hopefully be able to take Kabu’s team down more quickly. She spent nearly as many nights camped out in the Wild Area as she did at Raihan’s. It became a frequent occurrence that she would fall asleep leaning against him as they kept up on the progression of other challengers in the evenings, watching the tv. Each time, he would carry her to bed, and each time she would head out early the following morning to train, only barely waking him up with a kiss to his cheek before she got out of bed.

About two weeks into her training spree, Apollo did finally evolve into a Sliggoo. He had perfected Water Pulse and was now starting to work on strengthening his Dragon Breath into Dragon Pulse. It would still be a couple weeks before he mastered it, but since it wouldn’t be the primary move he would be needing to use against Kabu, she wasn’t too concerned.

A day or so before she was planning on challenging Kabu, Hop called her again. This time, he at least had the courtesy to wait until later in the morning. He was in Hulbury and was planning on heading back to Motostoke after finally beating Nessa and wanted to see if she wanted to check out the second mine that bridged the two cities. The second mine was prettier, but really wasn’t all that exciting to Celeste. She already had her team filled and was honestly just trying to give her team a day or two off before going to challenge Kabu. At least, that was her plan until Hop ran straight into the Challenger that the chairman had endorsed. And while Hop quickly apologized, the fluffy haired challenger swept Hop aside, focusing his gaze on Celeste.

“I wouldn’t normally deal with weaklings like you lot. But I suppose it is merciful to crush the weak early on.”

Hop had returned to her side and opened his mouth to reply when Celeste put a hand on his shoulder. Her brow was raised and her tone was chilly. “I don’t know where you get off with such garbage, kid, but you’ve got a lot of nerve to talk to me like that after I thoroughly trounced you last time we met.”

He scoffed. “I told you before. I went easy on you. It won’t happen again.”

“Care to put your money where your mouth is?”

“Absolutely, since it’s inconceivable that I would lose. Solosis.”

“Morpheus. Bite.”

“Psyshock.” Before it could prepare the attack, it was hit by the Dark-type move. It flinched with the attack, leaving itself open for a follow-up attack.

“Finish it with Infestation.”

“Hmph, lucky start. Gothita. Disarming Voice.”

“Disappear, then use Astonish.” The Dreepy faded from view, before knocking out the Psychic-type from behind.

“Hatenna. Disarming Voice.” This time, she didn’t need to give any instruction. Morpheus disappeared again, slamming the Ghost-type move into the little Psychic Pokémon. It held up a bit better than the Gothita, but then fell with the next Bite attack.

“Ponyta. Fairy Wind.”

“Combo Bite and Infestation.” The Fairy-type attack hit before he could move, staggering him, but it was not enough to stop him, and he quickly countered to defeat the Ponyta.

As he recalled his final Pokémon, the kid scoffed again. “I decided to let you win this time.”

As she handed Morpheus a Sitrus berry she glared at him. “You better come off your high horse real quick there, kid. Because I guarantee that other high-level trainers won’t take your crap.” She returned her little Dragon before brushing passed him. “C’mon Hop, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit shorter chapter this time. Next chapter will be a bit shorter as well.
> 
> Since it's been a hot second since I posted Celeste's current team and known moves, here we go, for reference.
> 
> Anubis (Lucario) knows Close Combat, Meteor Mash, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse  
> Loki (Gengar) knows Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt  
> Juno (Raboot) knows Ember, Flame Charge, Double Kick  
> Aura (Hattrem) knows Dazzling Gleam, Magical Leaf, Life Dew, Confusion  
> Morpheus (Dreepy) knows Astonish, Bite, Infestation  
> Apollo (Sliggoo) knows Water Pulse, Dragon Breath, Protect


	16. Dealing with Doubt

Hop led the way back into Motostoke City, charging straight for the Pokémon center. She followed at a much more sedate pace before following him over to the Gym. He was insistent on making his challenge to Kabu right then. She stayed to watch and winced when he was quickly defeated. He hadn’t changed his team at all since she had battled him outside of Turffield and didn’t stand a chance against the Fire-type Leader. When his challenge was done, he glanced up to meet her gaze before hanging his head and walking over to her. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and took him to eat. He was quiet during the meal, so she took a moment to shoot a text to Raihan.

 _Don’t wait for me. Probably staying in Motostoke tonight. Hop’s pretty down after getting his ass handed to him by Kabu._ 👑

His response was quick.

 _It happens. The Gyms only get tougher after Kabu. You challenging tomorrow?_ 🐉

 _Probably, since I’m here. Which means I’ll probably see you tomorrow night._ 💗 👑

 _I can’t wait. Slay em tomorrow, Princess._ 💗💗 🐉

Once they finished eating, she sprung for a cheap hotel room with a couple of beds so she could help get Hop sorted. He went to shower and change, and she simply sat on her bed, arms crossed, waiting for him. When he finally emerged, he flopped down on his bed.

She let out a sigh as she looked over at him. “What are you even doing right now, little bro?”

He rolled over to face away from her, grumbling. “Dunno what you mean.”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously doing this? So, you lost. So what?”

He rolled back over, frowning as he sat up. “Lee’s never lost. And the only reason you’ve ever lost is because you wanted to lose.”

“So?”

He ran a hand through his hair roughly. “So, how am I supposed to face the two of you if I can’t even make it through the first three Gyms without losing?”

She sighed again. “I already told you to stop comparing yourself to me and Lee. You are not the same person that we are. Hell, Lee and I aren’t even the same! Do you even realize how different he and I really are? Stop putting us on this damn pedestal you’ve created in your head and stop trying to live up to the ideal that the media has created around us. Do you know how hard either of us have had to work to get to where we are?” He shook his head. “What do you think my team and I have been spending our time doing between gyms?” She was standing now, hands on her hips. “Training our asses off. Do you know why?” He shook his head again. “Because I know that it takes time to get to the level needed to beat the different Leaders. Because I know that the battles will only get tougher after Kabu. Because I know that I have the entire damn challenge season to get through all ten Gym Leaders and register for the semis.”

He sniffed a bit, rubbing at an eye. She sighed. “Don’t get upset. I’m not yelling because I’m angry. I’m yelling because you’re not thinking, and I’m trying to help you.” He shrugged and she continued, tone softening. “Why don’t you spend some time actually building your team? Catch some new Pokémon. Spend some time training with your team. I guarantee that if you do that, you will beat Kabu without any problem.”

He met her eyes finally. “You think so?”

She leaned over to ruffle his hair. “I know so. You’re a smart kid. You know everything you need to know to make it to the semis. You just need to get out of your own way.”

He shoved her hand away. “Thanks, sis.” He laid back down, wiggling around until he managed to pull himself under the covers.

“You’re welcome. Night.” She grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom to finally shower. By the time she came back out, Hop was asleep. She shook her head before climbing into bed herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another pretty short chapter for now. Updates will still be a bit slower moving forward, but I am finally getting some inspiration back. Enjoy!


	17. Dousing the Fire

The next morning, before he could race out the door, Celeste let Hop know that she would be challenging Kabu. He thought about it for a minute and decided that he would watch her challenge before heading off to the Wild Area. The Gym mission was a bit different than the first two Gyms. Instead of a puzzle, she simply had to catch or defeat three wild Pokémon they had housed in the Gym. Where it was supposed to be difficult, was that the Gym trainers would be battling the wild Pokémon at the same time. She had to score at least five points, with catches being worth two, and defeats worth one point each. That meant she had to catch at least two of the Pokémon. She pulled Apollo out without hesitation, and with each of the three battles, she quickly turned his attention on the Gym trainer, taking each of them out with powerful bouts of Water Pulse before capturing each of the Pokémon.

When Kabu met her at the center of the pitch, he didn’t waste time with trash-talk. His greeting was straight forward. “I’m surprised you took this long to arrive.”

She simply shrugged. “I’m sure someone like you understands the importance of proper preparation. It’s not like it’s a race to get through all of the gyms, after all.”

He smiled warmly at her. “And yet, so few challengers understand that. Which is why so many fall when they meet me. And why so many more fall by the time they reach the final Gym.”

“But not me.”

He shook his head. “No. Based on what I’ve seen, I don’t expect that this match will last very long. Still, I feel the need to emulate my peers and increase this battle to a four-on-four match.”

“Let’s do it, then.”

They both took their positions, pokeballs in hand. As soon as they were given the signal, they let loose with a ferocious display.

“Apollo! Water Pulse!”

“Torkoal! Earthquake!” The turtle Pokémon was able to get off the single attack before it was overwhelmed with the powerful Water-type attack. Celeste glanced at her Sliggoo, satisfied that he was still holding his own.

“Arcanine! Extreme Speed paired with Play Rough!”

“Protect!” As the Fairy-type attack glanced off of Apollo’s protective shield, Celeste called out her counter. “Water Pulse!” It was a direct hit, but Celeste had to give Kabu credit. His Pokémon was able to withstand the hit. “Again!”

“Dodge with Extreme Speed and use Play Rough!”

Celeste frowned when Apollo only managed a glancing blow and was hit instead with the full power of the Fairy-type attack. Before she could call out, though, Apollo was landing another Water Pulse, knocking out the Arcanine.

“Ninetails! Fire Blast!”

“Protect! Then Water Pulse!”

“Quick attack followed by Solar Beam!”

Apollo managed to hold on through the Quick Attack, but he was struggling to stay standing. Since it took time to gather the energy for a Solar Beam, Celeste reached for a Full Restore. “Apollo!” He staggered over to her so she could use the restoring item on him before turning to face the Ninetails once more as it was preparing to unleash its attack. “Protect! Followed by another Water Pulse!”

The fox Pokémon wasn’t as strong as its teammate was and fell with the second direct hit. Celeste recalled Apollo to prepare to Dynamax as Kabu did the same with his final Pokémon, Centiskorch.

“Max Geyser!”

“G-Max Centiferno!” She frowned when flames surrounded Apollo, continuing to burn him as the battle continued on.

“Again!” Both trainers called out at the same time. Both Pokémon were still standing, though she could tell Kabu’s Centiskorch was almost down. “One more time!” She called out, gritting her teeth with the energy flying around the stadium with the intense attacks. When everything settled. Centiskorch was down, and Apollo was left breathing hard, flinching with his burns. She quickly recalled her friend and promised to take him to the Pokémon center soon. Kabu met her in the center of the stadium.

He shook her hand, passing her the Fire badge as he did. “Your bond with your Pokémon is impressive. That battle should have been difficult, and yet you were able to push though with only your Sliggoo. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised though, since you are a Champion yourself.”

She grinned. “Would have been a different story if he had taken all of the hits you tried to dish out. I’m not fooling myself; we have a lot of work to do before we take on the rest of the Gyms. But by the time we hit the semis, no one will be able to stand against us.”

He smiled. “I don’t doubt it. I look forward to watching the rest of your battles.”

“Thanks, Kabu.”

She took a moment to wave to the crowd in the stadium before heading for the locker room. She changed and took a deep breath. She had gotten off easy, managing to avoid the press in Hulbury, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to do the same in Motostoke. Schooling her features, she headed for the exit.

“Celeste! How do you feel about the Gym Leaders adjusting their formats just for you?”

She raised a brow. “The Gym Leaders know that I’m a former Champion. They expect a much more challenging battle from me than they would some of the other challengers. I think it’s flattering that they feel they need to change their format to try to have a chance to beat me.”

“Don’t you think it’s unfair to the other challengers that you’re taking the challenge?”

She frowned, taken aback. “I’m not sure what you mean. We won’t battle the other challengers until the semis. By that time, if they aren’t prepared, then that is their problem. Besides, it’s not like I’m competing with my old team. I’m training a new team for this challenge.”

“But you’re a former champion, don’t you think that leads to a little bit of an unfair advantage?”

“If I was using my Champion team from Kalos, then yes. But as I’ve already stated, I’m not, so I don’t see how there would be anything unfair.”

The press continued to push the issue until Celeste finally held up a hand, a scowl forming and her tone hard. “I don’t know how many times I can tell you the same thing until you believe it. Unless you have any different questions, we’re done for today.” She quickly pushed through the crowd to head for the Pokémon center before grabbing a taxi to take her to Hammerlocke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got through the battle with Kabu. I know the first three gym battles are a bit repetitive, but I feel like the first few gyms are always fairly easy, lulling you into a false sense of security before turning around and trying to stomp you into the ground. I'm working on the Stow-on-Side battles right now, and things are going to get a bit more difficult for Celeste. If you can patiently wait, though, the next chapter should have some much awaited smut. 🤭🤭🤭🤭


	18. Pulled From the Ashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning. This chapter is mostly smut. Please don't judge it too harshly.
> 
> Chapter summary for those of you that don't want the smut: Celeste is struggling with a little bit of depression after the post-battle interview. Raihan is a good boyfriend and pulls her through it. Smut ensues.

Raihan wasn’t back yet when she let herself in the house. She tossed her bag to the side before heading for the bathroom to shower. When she came out, wrapped in a towel, she headed for his closet, digging until she found a pair of his sweats and one of his hoodies. In spite of her win, the press had made her feel like dirt, and she thought that having his scent around her would help. She marched back to the bathroom to change. She left her hair down, falling to either side of her face before pulling the hood up and curling herself up in a ball on the couch, frowning as she watched all of the post challenge commentary on the different challengers. She grimaced when they got to her, curling up on herself even more. Normally it wouldn’t bother her, but there was just something about the way they were trying to make it out that it was unfair that she was going through the Gym challenge that was getting to her. She clicked the tv off in frustration and sat there staring at the blank screen until Raihan got home.

When he walked in the door, his greeting fell short as he spotted her on the sofa. “Hey….” He walked over to her, concern edging into his voice. “What’s wrong?” She didn’t say anything, instead just reaching for the remote to click the tv back on. He turned his attention to the screen, a frown coming to his face as he watched the commentary. As soon as they had finished discussing her challenge and interview, she clicked the tv off again. He sighed as he sat down beside her, pulling her over against him. She easily curled into his side, burying her face against his chest. “They were out of line.” When she didn’t budge, he let out another sigh and reached up to pull the hood down from her head. “They are just trying to create drama. You and I both know that it’s all a bunch of crap, and that’s what matters.” When she still didn’t move, he reached over, tilting her chin up to have her look at him. “I’m serious.” He tilted his own head enough to let his lips meet hers gently.

He pulled away, searching her eyes. Lavender orbs wavered before she finally started to uncurl herself so she could reach up to meet his lips again. His tongue flicked out to tease her bottom lip before she gasped into the kiss, letting his tongue in to meet with her own. When she pulled away for air, she moved, rotating her body and lifting herself up to straddle his lap, making it easier to meet his kiss. His hands naturally fell to her waist as she buried hers in his hair, crashing their mouths together with a needy whine. The sound sent a jolt straight to his groin and he tightened his grip on her waist in response, his hands moving to the edge of his hoodie that she was wearing, and underneath to brush against her bare skin. When they finally pulled apart once more, she rested her forehead against his. His teal gaze bored into her and his voice was husky. “Baby, this is your only chance to stop. Because if we keep this up, I won’t be able to.” His muscles were tense, waiting for her to tell him to stop.

Her response was a roll of her hips against his, causing him to groan before pulling her closer to him. She met him in another open-mouthed kiss as he slid his hands up her sides, a growl sounding low in his throat when he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra under the hoodie, as his thumbs caressed the underside of her breasts. He shifted his hands, grabbing the bunched-up material and pulled it up with purpose. She lifted her arms to help him remove the hoodie, before she was sliding his headband off. He sat up straighter, bringing his mouth to one of her breasts, swirling his tongue around a pert nipple before drawing it into his mouth with a gentle suck, scraping his sharp teeth around the sensitive flesh and drawing the first moan from her lips. The sound was intoxicating, and it became his goal to hear more. He released her breast and breathed against her chest. “Hold on.” He moved his hands down to her ass, holding her against him as he stood. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her back to his bed, laying her down, kneeling between her legs. As she released her hold around his neck, he pulled back, ripping his own hoodie and uniform top off in one motion, tossing the clothing to the corner of the room.

He reached for his sweats, laying low across her hips, and tugged at the waistband. She lifted her hips to let him slide them down, pulling them off of her. His eyes were sharp, predatory as they took in her naked form before he leaned over her, supporting his weight on one arm next to her as he kissed her, bringing his other hand up to massage her other breast. She moaned into his kiss, her hands trailing up his defined abdomen and chest, drawing a groan from him as well. He kissed his way down her body before standing to finally remove his shorts, freeing his erection. She moved to her knees, edging toward him to meet him before he could resume his position. She met his eyes as she took him in her hand, drawing another groan from his lips before she ran her tongue along his shaft. She let a little smirk come to her lips before she slowly enveloped his cock with her lips, her tongue teasing back and forth around him. He buried a hand in her hair. “Arceus, baby.” He rasped, breathing hard before he pulled her off of him, trying not to lose himself before he could feel her.

He pushed her back, resuming his place between her legs. He ran a finger up her slit, circling her clit, drawing another moan from her lips. “Already so wet for me.” He growled, kissing her deeply as he worked one and then two fingers into her, thumb working her clit at the same time. She ran her hands up over his chest, before pulling away with a moan of his name. “Rai. Please.” She pulled his mouth back to hers while he reached down to guide himself into her. He moved slowly, groaning as he sheathed himself in her fully. He started to thrust slowly, bringing a moan to both of their lips. Her hands roamed his back, tracing the ridges of muscle. As his pace increased, she wrapped a leg around his hip, letting him hit even deeper inside of her. She dug her fingers into his back as she reached her peak, crying out his name. As her walls clenched around him, he buried himself in her completely, his own release drawing a curse from his lips. He stayed there for a moment, both of them breathing hard before he removed himself, getting up to grab a towel to clean up before crawling back into bed beside her, holding the covers up to let her move to cuddle up against his chest.


	19. A Day in Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I was feeling self conscious after the last chapter, and was struggling to get this chapter to come together. I should be getting back on schedule after this one, as I have quite a bit written beyond this chapter. This chapter is pure smut, no plot at all, so if you didn't enjoy last chapter, you can skip this one, and continue with the chapter after this when it comes out in a week or so.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there!

She was roused the next morning by a few different sensations. One, was Raihan’s hand slowly working its way up and down her side. The next was his face, nuzzling against her shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses and love bites up and down her shoulder. And the third, as she arched into his touch, was a very firm indicator of his arousal against her rear. “Mmm. Rai?” She rolled over on her back to meet his lips with hers. “That’s one hell of a wake-up call.” She smiled lazily up at him.

He kissed her forehead. “You don’t have any plans for today, do you?”

She smiled. “Just training. But I could be persuaded to postpone that plan for a few hours.” She trailed a finger down his chest to his abdomen, finally stopping just shy of his hardened length. Her touch sent a shiver through him.

His eyes narrowed into something predatory before a smirk came to his face. “Good answer, because I have no plans of letting you go anytime soon.” He leaned down, catching her lips in a heated kiss and leaving her breathless when he finally pulled away. He pecked her once more on the lips before he started kissing his way down her neck. She shivered as he ran his tongue over her collarbone before letting out a gasp as he nipped her with one of his sharp canines. One of her hands buried in his hair as he continued his trek down her body. He followed several of his kisses to her breasts with similar nips before swirling his tongue around a peaked nipple. She finally graced him with a low moan as he pulled a nipple into his mouth, scraping his teeth against the sensitive flesh as he gave a brief suckle.

He trailed his tongue down her belly, dipping into her belly button. As he continued lower, he started to push her legs apart. She moved easily, any resistance in her body long gone. As he reached the apex of her thighs, he nipped the inside of a thigh, his eyes rising to meet hers as she let out a small cry. At her hooded gaze, he lowered his face down to her sex, already dripping from his ministrations. He ran his tongue up her slit before focusing on her clit for a moment. He flicked the nub with his tongue several times before he latched on and took a long suck. “Rai!” Her voice came out as a needy whine. A low growl rumbled through his chest at the sound. He swiped his tongue across her nub a few more times before running it up her slit again, then probing in and out with his tongue. He gently inserted a finger, curling up in just the right spot to get her to buck her hips. A feral grin rose on his lips as he continued to thrust his finger in and out of her, his tongue continuing to work her clit. Before long, he added a second finger. He could tell she was getting close with as hard as she would buck into his hand, and sure enough, after a few more thrusts, she came with a loud moan of his name, her walls clamping down on his fingers.

As she lay there panting, he licked his fingers clean before rising up to kiss her hard. He grinned at her dazed look before planting another kiss on her forehead. As she caught her breath, she met his look with her own smile. “Not that I’m complaining, but where was that last night?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think either of us would have had the patience to take our time last night.” He poked her gently in the side. “Roll over. I’m not done with you just yet.” She quickly complied, folding her arms under her head as he straddled her back. His thumbs dug into the tight muscles of her shoulders, kneading with just enough pressure to help her relax. He paused to brush her hair off of her neck before planting a kiss there. He worked all of the muscles in her back, placing kisses along her back as he went. From time to time, he would trail his tongue across her spine, eliciting a shiver from her. When he finally reached her ass, he wrapped an arm underneath her to help her to her knees. He spread her knees apart and knelt in between, before he rubbed the head of his cock up and down her soaked slit. He teased her for a minute before he finally slid into her wet heat, letting out a low groan as he seated himself within her fully. He let her adjust before setting an even pace. With each of his thrusts, she met him halfway. Before long, he reached his hand around and started playing with her clit. His pace increased, and before long his thrusts were becoming erratic as her walls continued to tighten. After a few more thrusts, they both cried out, her walls spasming around him, milking him for everything he had.

He pulled out of her before they both collapsed on the bed. She rolled over, nestling into the crook of his arm against his chest. Her hand came up to lazily trace patterns across his chest as they drifted back to sleep. They dozed for another hour or so before they were woken by Raihan’s phone ringing with one of his Gym trainers looking for him. With a groan he climbed out of bed, finally starting his day. Celeste decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing, still warm from the aftereffects of their earlier activities.


	20. Getting Back On Track

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said it would be a week or so before I posted this chapter, but I couldn't wait. 😋 Back to the plot we go!

She spent the next month focusing her training on Morpheus and Aura. She knew she would need Aura’s Psychic typing against Bea’s Fighting types, and Morpheus to cancel out Allister’s Ghost types. Since she knew it would be beneficial down the road, she kept Apollo working to perfect his Dragon Pulse. She had Juno and Apollo spending most of their time training with each other, as she needed Loki and Anubis to help train with Aura and Morpheus. Her first order of business was to set Aura on course to strengthen her Confusion attack into a Psychic attack. As one of the most powerful Psychic attacks out there, she would need it to last against Bea’s team. She had Anubis work with her. His own aura reading abilities would likely be beneficial to Aura. Then she turned her attention to Loki and Morpheus.

“Okay boys, we have got to buckle down on the training. Morpheus, I think our best bet would be if we could get you to evolve before we face Allister. I want to work on improving your Astonish attack into Phantom Force.” As the tiny Dragon chirped at her, he tilted his head. Celeste smiled. “Right. You’ve kind of already gone through the motions of how Phantom Force should work. You know how you’ve phased out and appeared behind your opponents to land other combo attacks?” At his nod, she continued. “That’s the basis of Phantom Force. So instead of reappearing and using something like Bite, you’ll be starting out using Astonish, but working with Loki to make it stronger until we can turn it into Phantom Force.” She hummed for a moment before she continued. “And then, once you evolve, you should be able to start learning Dragon Rush. But first, Phantom Force.” At that, she set her two Ghost Pokémon to work. She checked in on Juno and Apollo and encouraged both of them to focus mostly on getting stronger. If she needed them as back up in either Gym, she would need them to at least be at a higher level than they were at currently.

It took about a week and a half before Aura had mastered Psychic. She then instructed her and Anubis to focus on her overall strength and confidence. She wasn’t sure if she’d be ready to evolve by the time she faced Bea, but she certainly wanted her to be close to achieving it by the time they were finished with the pair of Stow-on-Side Gym Leaders. Morpheus was finally mastering Phantom Force. Once he had Loki’s stamp of approval, she wanted him to focus on strengthening his Bite attack into a Crunch attack, at least until he evolved. To help the process along, she brought Apollo and Juno in on the training with Morpheus.

They were in the final week of their month-long training spree when Morpheus finally evolved. He nearly quadrupled in size and was so excited about finally evolving, that he tackled Celeste, chirping happily. She giggled in response and scratched under his chin before he finally let her up. She gave him a handful of Sitrus berries to celebrate and shot Raihan a text that she would meet him at the Gym before he headed home for the night. Before evolving, he had also managed to strengthen his Bite attack into Crunch. Aura had improved immensely and was able to consistently take Anubis down with combinations of her Psychic and Dazzling Gleam attacks. Celeste knew that her old friend was probably still holding back for the sake of the younger Pokémon, but it had done wonders for Aura’s self-esteem.

She called it a day early and headed back to Hammerlocke. She took her team to the Pokémon Center to make sure everyone was feeling one hundred percent before heading over to the Gym. The League staff knew her now and let her pass without incident as she breezed into the doorway of the pitch to watch Raihan finish up his session with his Gym trainers. He walked over to her with a smile on his face. “Hey, Princess. What had you so excited in your text earlier?”

She grinned. “Let me just show you.” She pulled out Morpheus’ pokeball and let him out. “Morpheus finally evolved!” He let out a chirp of pride at the excitement in Celeste’s voice.

Raihan circled around the Dragon, critically assessing how he looked. Celeste knew some of the things he was looking for. It was possible to push a Dragon-type to evolve too soon. Their health would suffer if they didn’t have time to grow appropriately. She had been careful to maintain that careful balance of pushing hard, but not so hard that she would compromise his health. When he was done assessing Morpheus, Raihan met her look with a grin. “He looks great. Not that I really had any doubts on your ability to raise a Dragon, with your experience.”

She kept on grinning. “Still, it’s nice to get your stamp of approval, since you are the Dragon master of the region.”

He laughed. “So, your month of training is just about up. You get everything done you wanted to?”

She nodded. “Yup! Morpheus evolving was the last thing I wanted to have happen before we hit the next Gym. So now we’ve got a few days to rest.” She returned Morpheus and moved over to Raihan as she clipped his pokeball to her hip. He wrapped her up in his arms as she did. “Sorry I haven’t been spending as much time with you during this last month. This coming battle with Allister has been weighing on me. I’m worried about battling Opal too, but I’m trying to not think about the battle with her right now.”

He placed a kiss to the top of her head. “I get it. I’ve been through the Gym Challenge. It’s not exactly a walk in the park, and things have only gotten tougher over the last few years.” He released her from his arms then. “Ready to go home?”


	21. The Need to Defend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks to AdeenBanner for all of the wonderful comments. I've already said it in the comments section, but comments are life. The sudden influx of comments on this fic have got me feeling all sorts of inspired and ready to post this chapter a bit early. It's a bit shorter, but we'll keep trucking along. Enjoy!

She spent the next few days letting her team rest as she had promised. Raihan offered to let her hang out at the Gym, but she declined. After the hard time the press had given her after beating Kabu, she didn’t want to give them any more fodder to think that it was unfair for her to be going through the Gym Challenge. Mostly she caught up on sleep, reorganized her bag, and went shopping.

Route 6 was a headache. There were all these stupid ladders to get up and down through the different areas. The different trainer battles she had were the only redeeming quality of the route, and she was merciless on the trainers that stood in her way. Over the previous couple of days at Raihan’s, she had seen on tv that Hop had managed to beat Kabu, so she was surprised when she arrived in Stow-on-Side and bumped into him as he was leaving the Pokémon center.

He immediately challenged her to a battle. “I did what you said, sis. I changed up my team, and I beat Kabu!”

“I saw on tv that you did. Good job. I’m a bit surprised that you’re already in Stow-on-Side, though.”

He shrugged. “I figured I would at least check things out. And now, since you’re here, I figure if I beat you, I’ll be ready for the Gym.”

“Bring it on, Hop. Let’s go Aura.”

“Cramorant! Pluck!”

“Magical Leaf, then Psychic.” Aura easily brushed off the attack and slammed her own attacks into the dual Flying/Water type. It staggered but managed to remain standing.

“Fury Attack!”

“Psychic again.” The attack hit before Cramorant could move, knocking it out.

“Sandaconda! Brutal Swing!”

“Stop it with Psychic. Then use Magical Leaf.” Aura flinched as the Dark-type attack started to connect before she caught her opponent with the Psychic attack. The Ground-type Pokémon fainted easily with the Grass-type attack. Celeste put her hands on her hips at the frustrated look on Hop’s face before he called out his next Pokémon.

“Toxel! Acid!”

“Psychic.” As the Poison attack hit, she could see Aura shake with the early effects of poisoning. As soon as the Toxel dropped, she was recalling her. “Aura, return. Let’s go Juno.”

“Thwackey! Knock Off!”

“Don’t give it the opportunity! Flame Charge!”

Hop bowed his head with a hand over his face as he recalled his Thwackey. He let out a deep sigh. “I thought I had it figured out when we beat Kabu.” He finally lifted his face to meet her eyes. “But it’s still not right, is it?”

She raised a brow, a smile coming to her lips. “The fact that you can recognize it without me having to point it out means that you’re learning.”

He sighed again. “I guess.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped.

Celeste frowned. “Hop? What happened? You’re never this down after a battle with me.”

“Just something stupid that challenger sponsored by the chairman said. I battled him in the Wild Area a couple weeks ago. He trashed my team and then said I was dragging Lee’s name through the dirt.”

Something akin to a growl resonated with her words. “The next time I see that smug little shit, I’m gonna beat him into the ground so hard, he’ll be shitting dirt for weeks.” Hop snorted at her description. “Don’t listen to anything that little creep says. His own ego is way over-inflated. And even IF he makes it to the semis, I will destroy him.”

“Thanks, sis.”

She clapped a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get back to the Pokémon Center.”

After they had their teams tended to, Hop waved her off and grabbed a taxi to head back to Hammerlocke. He had told her that he was heading back to the Wild Area to do some training, and to work on his team some more. Even after her reassurances, he still looked down about his loss and the things the chairman’s challenger had said to him. She frowned as she watched him leave before turning to find a room at the Pokémon Center for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bede just pisses me off so much during the early part of the game. And we do not appreciate it when our adorable little bro is down in the dumps. Yeah you gotta have some hard times to come out better than you were before, but it's one thing when it comes from family or the Gym Leaders. At least then it's constructive. It's another thing entirely when it comes out of spiteful little twerps.


	22. A Challenge Nearly Failed

The next day she made for the Gym. With there being two Gym Leaders utilizing the same Gym, they had altered the format of the Gym challenge slightly, and she was told that the Gym mission would take place that day. And then, if she made it through the mission, she would then challenge each Leader separately on different days. They had found that this made everything run more smoothly and allowed for everyone to be at their best for each battle.

She groaned when they told her about the mission for the Stow-on-Side Gym. It was basically set up like a giant torture machine. She had to steer a spinning car through various maze-like sections. At the end of each section there were two Gym trainers, one for each Leader’s specialty. When she reached the end of the first section, she crawled out of the car, falling to her hands and knees breathing shallowly to try to keep her stomach where it belonged. Sensing her distress, Aura released herself from her pokeball and let out a gentle cry, trying to soothe her with her Psychic energies. After several, very long, minutes she finally was able to take a deep, shaky breath before she climbed to her feet. She placed a hand on the wall next to her to steady herself before looking up to meet the Gym trainers concerned faces.

“Motion sickness?” One of them asked, voice full of sympathy.

Celeste nodded weakly. “Never have a problem when I fly with my Pokémon, or use the taxis, but surfing, or…” She gestured behind her. “That. It’s bad.”

The second nodded in understanding. “It happens from time to time. The important thing is that you made it through the first part. We occasionally have to make an exception for challengers with bad motion sickness. If you beat us, you’ll still have to battle the other Gym trainers along the way, but you’ll be able to skip the part with the car.”

Celeste’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank, Arceus. I was barely keeping my stomach down as it was. It was only going to get worse.”

The Gym trainers then challenged her to a double battle. The one started out with a Stufful. The second started with a Pumpkaboo. Celeste sent out Morpheus to join Aura. Aura quickly downed the Stufful with a powerful Psychic attack while Morpheus set to work with a quick combination of Phantom Force and Crunch. Aura repeated her assault on the Bewear that the first trainer sent out, defeating the Fighting-type Gym trainer, leaving the Ghost-type trainer alone with his last two Pokémon. He sent out a second Pumpkaboo and a Phantump. Morpheus moved quickly with the same combination, taking down both Ghost Pokémon with a single hit. As soon as they were down, the pair of trainers were directing her to a hallway that would short-cut her to the next set of trainers.

When she stepped out of the hall, she startled the two trainers that were waiting for her. One raised a brow before understanding lit in their eyes. The Ghost-type trainer had a single Pokémon, a Galarian Corsola, which Morpheus was able to defeat easily with a couple of well paired Crunch attacks. The Fighting-type trainer sent out a Farfetch’d that quickly fell to Aura’s Psychic attack. They directed her to another hallway that took her to the final set of Gym trainers who faced off against her with a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan as well as a Haunter and a Drifblim. Morpheus and Aura put their all into their attacks and again made short work of the Gym trainers. With the Gym mission now complete, she headed back to the Pokémon Center to see to her team, and to get some rest, still feeling a bit nauseated from her earlier motion sickness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Motion sickness is a bitch, folks. Especially when you happen to love things that cause said sickness. For me, it's roller coasters. Love them, but without any meds for it, no can do. And I basically saw the Stow-on-Side Gym mission as one giant, evil, Tilt-o-Whirl.


	23. A Fighting Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So in case you haven't noticed, I went through and finally gave my chapters titles. Some of them have dual meanings. Check them out and see what you think. 
> 
> This chapter is a bit on the longer side, but has some nice fluff at the end. Enjoy!

The next day, she went back to the Gym. The staff told her that she would then have the choice of which Gym Leader she wanted to battle first. She was more confident about her battle with Bea just based on the better type advantage she would have against her Fighting types than she would against Allister. They led her back to the locker rooms to change before escorting her up to the pitch.

Bea met her in the center of the pitch amidst the roar of the crowd. She narrowed her eyes at the challenging look on Celeste’s face. “You don’t look even remotely concerned about this match.”

Celeste shrugged lightly. “I’ve spent the last month training specifically to battle you and Allister. I’m confident my team can do their job. Aren’t you?”

The smugness in her retort made Bea frown. “Of course, I am.” She tsked. “Nessa was right. You are just as cocky as Leon. I’m gonna knock some of that cockiness out of you. It’s four-on-four. Let’s go! Hitmontop!”

“Aura! Psychic!”

“Revenge!” The Fighting-type managed to hold out after the critical hit of the Psychic attack and even with the reduced effect that Fighting-type attacks had on Aura, she still flinched with the hit.

“Life Dew, quickly. Then hit it with another Psychic!”

“Quick attack!” The hit landed, but then the Psychic attack knocked it out.

“Pangoro! Night Slash!”

“Dazzling Gleam!” Aura managed to get off the attack before the Dark-type attack hit her. She let out a cry and staggered, but Bea’s Pangoro fainted after being hit by the doubly effective Fairy-type attack.

Bea frowned as she returned her Pangoro. Even though Aura was breathing hard, she still looked strong enough to continue battling. And she had a massive advantage against her Pokémon with both the Psychic and Fairy-type attacks. “Sirfetch’d! Brutal Swing!”

“Combo Psychic and Dazzling Gleam!”

Bea grimaced as her Pokémon was stopped in his tracks by the Psychic attack and then knocked out with the follow up Fairy-attack. She recalled her fallen Pokémon and held her last pokeball in her hand, hesitating. Her hesitation gave Celeste the chance to use a Hyper Potion on the Hattrem before recalling her to Dynamax. Bea let out a small sigh as she did the same, sending out her Gigantamaxed Machamp. “G-Max Chi Strike!”

“Max Mindstorm!” Celeste’s eyes narrowed when she saw that Bea’s Machamp was still standing. It was shaking, but it was still able to battle. She figured that one more hit should do it. “Max Starfall!”

“Max Darkness!” Both hits landed at the same time, and when the dust settled, Aura was still standing, but breathing hard. Machamp had fallen and was being recalled by Bea.

The crowd went crazy as she recalled Aura and walked to the center of the pitch to shake Bea’s hand. The Gym Leader sighed as she shook her head. “I can’t believe you made this battle look so easy. I never had a chance. Stupid Raihan was right.”

Celeste let out a giggle. “Sorry, Bea. I was a little bit worried there since most of your Pokémon know a Dark-type move. It’s a good counter strategy against one of you types major weaknesses. Just not enough against us.”

“I’ll be watching tomorrow to see how you handle my brother.”

After she changed back into her regular clothes, she was surprised when Raihan was waiting for her in front of the Gym.

“Rai? What are you doing here?” She quickly walked over to him, letting herself be wrapped up in his opened arms.

“I thought I would surprise you and take you to lunch.” He released her from the embrace but kept an arm around her shoulders.

She cocked a brow up at him. “Are you sure you have time to be here? Don’t you have any challengers yet?”

Raihan shrugged. “Not quite yet. Besides, even if I did, I’d get through them and still make time for you.”

She smacked his arm. “That’s sweet. A bit sappy for you, but sweet.”

He laughed. “Anything for you, Princess.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket, handing it to her. “I got you something.”

“Oh? What’s the occasion?” She took the box carefully, pulling at the bow.

He shrugged. “No occasion. Just saw it the other day and thought of you.” She pulled the box open, revealing a simple locket type pendant. “I remembered seeing you put the bracelet with your keystone in your bag when you got your Dynamax band. Thought this would be better.”

She quickly dug through her bag, coming up with her keystone bracelet. She unclipped the charm and set it in the center of the pendant. “It’s perfect, Rai. Thank you.”

He let out a breath of relief. “You’re welcome. Here, let me.” He took it from her. He brushed her hair out of the way and clipped it around her neck. It was a bit long, coming to rest right over her heart. She admired it for a moment before she tucked it into her shirt, keeping the keystone safe. He offered her his hand. “Ready to eat?”

She quickly took his hand with a smile. “After beating Bea? You know it.”

They were in the middle of lunch when Raihan’s phone started dinging with alerts from his social media. He groaned. “Damn, someone tagged me in a picture of us while we’ve been here. The media’s gonna go nuts. You ready for that?”

She shrugged. “Not like I haven’t dealt with the media before. I’m a big girl, Rai. I can handle it.”

One of his brows rose skeptically. “I know, but after how things went after you beat Kabu…” He trailed off, concern in his voice.

She shrugged again. “It doesn’t usually get to me like that when the press is tough on me. That was a one-off. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

They were leaving the restaurant when they were bombarded by cameras. “Leader Raihan! Are you showing undue favoritism to a challenger by meeting like this?”

Raihan sighed. “I met Celeste before the Gym Challenge started. Just because we are seeing each other, doesn’t mean that either of us will go easy on the other when she makes it to my gym.”

“So just to confirm, are the two of you dating?”

“Yes. We have been since before this year’s challenge started up. We just haven’t made a big deal out of it.”

“Celeste! There are rumors going around that you came to Galar to run from your ex. Are they true?”

Raihan opened his mouth to make an angry reply when Celeste stepped forward. “I’m not running from anything.” Her voice was firm. “I lost my title in a fair match. Since I no longer had the responsibility, I decided to come home finally.” She cut off the reporter before they could ask another question. “If I was running, why would I enter the Gym challenge? Why would I put myself back in the spotlight?”

“Do you think that your relationship with Leader Raihan gives you an advantage in the challenge?”

She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you think that you’ll have a fair match if you make it to the last Gym to challenge Raihan?”

Raihan was frowning, a hand on her shoulder when she opened her mouth to reply, voice icy. “I have never given less than my best in any battle. Raihan is the same. When we battle, there isn’t any question that neither of us will be holding back.”

“Do you really think you have a shot at beating the Unbeatable Champion?”

Her brow rose then. “I’ve got news for you. No one is unbeatable.” With that, she took Raihan’s hand and walked away.

He sighed. “That was a bit harsher than usual.”

She shrugged. “They’ve been getting worse as the challenge has gone on. But like I said, I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. And Leon better be prepared, because I AM coming for him.”

He pulled her closer to throw his arm over her shoulder as they walked, chuckling. “Just remember, you gotta make it past me first, Princess.” He walked her back to the Pokémon Center. “You staying here again tonight?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I have to beat Allister in the morning. I’d rather just stay here instead of taking a taxi back and forth just for that. I’ll come home tomorrow though.” She stretched up on her toes to meet his lips in a quick kiss.

He grinned before he planted a kiss against her forehead. “See ya tomorrow, Princess.” With that, he called out his Noivern and headed for home. She stood there watching him leave for a few minutes before heading into the Pokémon Center to plan for the next day’s battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels so good to finally get that piece of fluff at the end of the chapter posted. I think I've had that part written around the same time I had my first few chapters written. So it's been sitting on my computer for a while now. But now the 'secret' is finally out. Also, we are officially halfway through the total word count of what I currently have written on my computer. Of course that word count includes some of the larger AN's that I had written ahead of time as reminders, but still, whew.


	24. A Fallen Star

In the slums of Lumiose city, in a run-down apartment, steel-gray eyes stared at a small tv screen. He’d had to spend a little extra, but after hearing rumors floating around the city that Celeste was in Galar, he had to find out for himself. Sure enough, once Calem had spent the money to be able to stream this year’s Galarian Gym Challenge, he’d seen Celeste on tv more than a few times. As a former Champion, the commentators frequently talked about her various battles. They speculated about her team. As Calem had continued to train his own team to work towards beating her, he’d kept tabs on the Pokémon she had been using. Since she was challenging a new league, she had changed her lineup significantly, though to date, he’d only seen three of her Pokémon. He hadn’t been surprised when he’d watched her absolutely destroy the first three Gyms in the region. Based on what he was finding, there were two of the Gyms that had two Gym Leaders each: the fourth and the sixth. The most recent streaming of her battles showed that she was halfway through the fourth Gym. She seemed to be taking her time, compared to when they had gone through their Kalos League Challenge, but he supposed that it was more a testament to her experience, than out of any real necessity.

He glanced at his own Pokémon, resting in their pokeballs on his table and figured that he should probably try challenging the League again. He hadn’t done so since immediately after Celeste had lost to Diantha and the former Champion had retaken her place. He frowned. It just wouldn’t be the same as beating Celeste directly, but it would at least be a step in the right direction if he could beat the woman that had beaten his greatest opponent. He was pulled from his thoughts when the commentary on the Gym battles ended and shifted focus. The footage was of Celeste, but instead of the typical post-battle interview, she was with a man, and they appeared to be leaving a café of some kind. His face pulled into a scowl and jealousy flared inside of him when he noticed that the man’s arm was around her shoulders. He turned up the volume, just catching the beginning of the taped interview.

The man was one of the Gym Leader’s of the region. After searching for him online, he realized why he looked vaguely familiar. Raihan was the final Gym Leader that challengers would face in Galar. He was also the Champion’s rival and frequently held exhibition matches with the Champion. When he heard the man confirm his and Celeste’s relationship, and that it had been going on more or less since she arrived in Galar, Calem lost his cool. He clicked off the tv, throwing the remote across the room. He gathered his pokeballs and left his apartment, slamming the door behind him. Once outside, he called out his Altaria and barked out a single command as he climbed on its back. “Take me to Terminus Cave.”

As he flew, his thoughts bounced angrily around in his head. First, Celeste had the nerve to challenge the League before he’d even arrived, way back when they did their Kalos challenge. They had agreed that they would arrive, and battle to decide who would challenge the League first. Then, she won. And she just kept winning. When they started dating, he was sure that he’d be able to beat her eventually. Then he’d be able to prove that they were equals in every way. But she NEVER lost. Then she went and lost her title to someone other than him, and when she did, she left before he could challenge her again. He’d been so angry when he’d called her, and she’d told him she wasn’t in the region anymore. He’d been even angrier when she wouldn’t tell him where she was and then just hung up on him. He’d tried calling her multiple times over the couple of months since then, but every time he did, it just rang off the hook. He’d sent her dozens of messages, and she’d never once bothered to even text him back. Now to find out that she’d been cheating on him all along? And with a GYM LEADER?! He was in a rage by the time Altaria landed by the secret entrance he’d found to Terminus Cave.

For whatever reason, Celeste had never given him clearance to train in the cave, but he’d been determined, and had one day found an unprotected entrance. It was little more than a fissure in the rock that likely had developed after the massive earthquakes that had occurred after all of the mess with Team Flare years ago, but it suited him just fine as his own secret entrance. He traveled to the deepest parts of the cave before sending out his entire team. Over the last couple of months, a few of his Pokémon had become very leery of him. His commands and training techniques becoming more and more aggressive. When his Pokémon saw him in the cave, a few of them cowered. The trainer that they had once known, was nowhere to be found in his expression as he began their training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So our boy, Calem, has a few issues and dearly needs some help. ಠ_ಠ Obviously we haven't forgotten about him, because what fun would that be? What will happen? I mean, I know, because it's already written, but we've got a lot of ground to cover before we get there still. 
> 
> I don't know how it actually works when you try to call or text a number that has blocked you, because obviously Celeste has blocked his ass. But obviously you don't get to leave a voicemail, so for the sake of argument, it will just continue to ring. And obviously she's not going to respond to text messages that she doesn't even get in the first place.


	25. Ghost-ing Done Right

The next morning, as she was getting ready to leave her room at the Pokémon Center, Loki released himself from his pokeball and started bouncing back and forth excitedly. Celeste let out a sigh as she put her hands on her hips. “Sorry, bud, but you don’t get to battle today.” His bouncing faltered and his expression fell into a pout. “Loki, you know I’m trying to get through the gyms without using you or Anubis. I just don’t think it’d be fair.” At his continued pout, she let out another sigh. “After today we’ll be halfway through the Gyms. When we hit the semifinals, all bets are off, and both you and Anubis will get to lead the way again.” She stepped closer to him and placed a hand atop his head. “And if it comes down to it, and Allister manages to surprise me, you may get a shot at battling today after all. Who knows?” As he started to celebrate, she held up a finger. “But! No coming out of your pokeball unless I say so, got it?” At his excited nod, he reached up and touched his pokeball, returning himself. She let out an exasperated sigh before she made for the Gym once more.

The ambiance within the Gym had changed to reflect the difference in Gym Leaders. Allister was on the small side, and obviously much younger than all the other Leaders. Celeste had yet to see the boy without his mask on, and she worked to keep her brow from raising as he shuffled to the center of the pitch to meet her. At the kick-off party, he had kept mostly to himself, so Celeste didn’t really know what to expect from the Ghost-type trainer. His words to her were quiet and hesitant. “Are you ready?”

Celeste merely nodded; her eyes focused as she waited for him to send out his first Pokémon.

“Yamask.”

“Morpheus, let’s go. Crunch!”

“Disable.” Celeste’s eyes widened as the attack landed, staggering the Yamask before Morpheus flinched away as the Disable took effect. Losing one of the two main attacks she would need against Allister’s Pokémon was a setback.

“Finish it with Phantom Force.”

Allister slowly returned his fainted Pokémon and brought out a Pokémon that Celeste had never seen before. “Mimikyu. Shadow Sneak.”

“Phantom Force again.” Morpheus disappeared, reappearing to strike his opponent. Celeste frowned when the attack didn’t seem to have any effect and the Pokémon seemed to fold in half. Before she could call out a warning, Morpheus was reeling from a powerful blow as the Mimikyu finally landed its Shadow Sneak attack. Morpheus’ Crunch attack was still disabled, and Allister’s Mimikyu was far more dangerous than it appeared. A bead of sweat formed on Celeste’s forehead as she changed strategies.

“Morpheus, return.” She felt Loki’s pokeball wiggle on her hip. She touched the ball gently, not ready to resort to using him yet. His pokeball stilled with her touch before she moved on to select one of her other friends. “Apollo! Dragon Pulse!”

“Shadow Sneak.”

“Protect!” This time, the Mimikyu seemed to stagger under the force of Apollo’s attack. As soon as he was releasing the attack, he was protecting himself, letting the Ghost-type attack slide harmlessly off to the side.

“Put all you have into this next attack. Dragon Pulse again!”

“Shadow Sneak.” Somehow the Ghost Pokémon withstood the second direct hit. It moved faster than she could react and landed its own attack successfully this time around.

“Water Pulse!” Finally, the Mimikyu fainted. Celeste was torn on whether she should keep on with Apollo, or switch back out for Morpheus. Her decision was made for her when Allister quickly sent out his next Pokémon with a command.

“Cursola. Curse.”

Celeste knew Protect wouldn’t do anything to block the attack and instead focused on her next attack as the Ghost-type cut its own health in half, causing Apollo to flinch as it drained some of his own health. “Dragon Pulse.” Apollo flinched again as his health continued to drain before he released his attack. He staggered after it hit before finally collapsing. Celeste called him back, frowning as she reached once more for another pokeball. “Morpheus. Phantom Force.” He landed the attack before Allister could call out any other instructions.

Allister reached for his last Pokémon, the pokeball growing to giant size in his small hands. Celeste quickly returned Morpheus to his pokeball to Dynamax him as well. She released him as Allister released his final Pokémon. “Gengar.”

They called their attacks at the same time.

“Max Phantasm!”

“Max Phantasm.”

Both Pokémon staggered under the force of the attack. Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she saw a chance in Morpheus as the Disable attack finally wore off. Smiling at the advantage she had just regained; she called her next attack. “Max Darkness!”

She shouldn’t have been surprised, but her eyes did widen in shock when Allister called out the same attack as she did. “Max Darkness.” Again, both Pokémon staggered with the hits they had taken, but with the damage Morpheus had taken earlier in the battle, he couldn’t push through and fainted.

Celeste grimaced as she recalled her fallen Pokémon. She didn’t want to resort to using Loki if she didn’t have to, so she instead reached for Juno’s pokeball. “Let’s go, Juno! Flame Charge!”

“Max Phantasm.”

The Fire attack did moderate damage to the Gigantamaxed Pokémon. Juno was at full strength, so even though she took the full brunt of the Dynamax attack, she was still easily standing. As Gengar returned to his normal size, Celeste called out the final attack. “Flame Charge.”

They both recalled their Pokémon, walking to the center of the pitch once more. He held out the badge for her. “Here. A Ghost Badge. Um. Good luck. With, um, everything.”

She smiled softly. “Thanks, Allister. You really surprised me today.”

“Really?” His head tilted to the side a bit.

She nodded. “Yeah. That Disable right of the bat really wreaked havoc on my battle plans. And that Mimikyu of yours; I was really starting to sweat this match.”

He clasped his hands in front of him and looked down. He sounded even more shy. “T-thanks.”

“I look forward to getting a chance to battle you again in the finals.” He mumbled a reply and she turned and headed for the locker room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't apologize for the title on this one. It's bad. I know it, you know it, but it's cheeky and I still like it, so move along. Because in case we haven't noticed, the chapters with the various Gym battles all have some reference to the Gym Leader's type. And Ghost's were hard.
> 
> Update on Celeste's team (Since it's been a hot second again.):  
> Anubis (Lucario) knows Close Combat, Meteor Mash, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse  
> Loki (Gengar) knows Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt  
> Juno (Raboot) knows Ember, Flame Charge, Double Kick  
> Aura (Hattrem) knows Dazzling Gleam, Magical Leaf, Life Dew, Psychic  
> Morpheus (Drakloak) knows Phantom Force, Crunch, Infestation  
> Apollo (Sliggoo) knows Water Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Protect


	26. Ruin

As soon as she stepped out of the Gym, a loud crashing sound echoed through the town. There were ruins above the Gym, and it sounded like it had come from there. Frowning, Celeste ran for the ruins as the crashing sound continued. As she came upon the ruins, a deep frown came to her face. It was the challenger that the chairman had sponsored. He had a Copperajah and was using it to attack the ruins.

“Destroy it. Destroy it all! We’re going to find those Wishing Stars. We’ve got to bring the chairman more Wishing Stars if we want to please him.”

“What the hell are you doing?!” Celeste growled as she grabbed the kid’s shoulder, spinning him to face her.

His face quickly pulled into a sneer. “You again. So now you think you can start collecting Wishing Stars and gain the chairman’s favor? I won’t have it. I won’t allow anyone to stand in my way.”

Before she could argue, he was sending out his Duosion, starting a battle with her. She hadn’t been to the Pokémon Center yet, so half of her team was out of commission. Knowing that the kid stuck with Psychic types made her choice easy. “Loki. Dark Pulse.” Because of the difference in levels between their Pokémon, the attack was a one-hit KO.

“Ugh. Gothorita. Rock Tomb.”

“Shadow Ball.” He landed the attack before the Gothorita could even begin its own attack. Sensing Celeste’s irritation with the trainer, he then taunted him with his usual antics of bouncing back and forth, wagging his tongue and pulling at an eye.

His face quickly pulled into one of disgust as he recalled his second Pokémon and sent out his third. “Hattrem. Dazzling Gleam.” This time, Celeste kept silent. Loki was already moving, unleashing a Dark Pulse attack on the Psychic-type. “Ponyta. Fairy Wind.” This time, Loki disappeared before reappearing behind the pony Pokémon. As he reappeared, he released a powerful Shadow Ball, taking down the punk’s final Pokémon. Loki had outclassed his team so much that he hadn’t even taken any damage. He bounced back to Celeste’s side with glee, further taunting their opponent.

He let out a growl. “But why? How can this be? How can someone like you get in my way?”

Her eyes narrowed and Loki’s face turned from taunting to menacing. “Someone like me? How dare you, you arrogant snot?”

She did have to give the kid an ounce of credit, he didn’t back down from the menacing glare of her Gengar, nor the fury that she was radiating. “I was the one chosen by the chairman. I was the one who was going to defeat the Champion.”

Before Celeste could respond, a shrill voice cut through the air. “Challenger Bede!” Celeste turned to see the chairman’s assistant rushing up to them, followed by several league staffers as well as the chairman himself. She assumed someone must have alerted them as soon as the crashing sounds had started. The chairman’s assistant crossed her arms, a frown coming to her face. “I wondered what you were up to when you asked to borrow the chairman’s Copperajah. I can’t believe you’d use the chairman’s Pokémon to destroy a historical site!”

He was indignant. “Who cares about some ancient ruin when the next thousand years are at stake?” Celeste’s face pulled into a frown.

The chairman let out a sigh. “Young Bede. It pains me to have to say this, but I am truly disappointed. I saw talent in you. You reminded me a bit of myself back when I was your age. That’s why I sent you to a Trainer’s school, to give you a chance at success. But this? Trying to destroy ruins that are an integral part of Galar’s history? You show no love toward Galar. You are clearly not a worthy challenger for the Gym Challenge.” His tone turned cold. “We will decide what to do with you later. For now, you will return to Hammerlocke.”

Bede’s eyes were wide. His words were filled with disbelief when he spoke. “You…you’re joking, right? You’re disqualifying me from the Gym Challenge? But you’re the one who endorsed me.”

The chairman’s assistant spoke up then. “Bede. We will be taking those Wishing Stars that you have gathered.” With that, she and the league staffers left, Bede shuffled in the middle of their group.

Chairman Rose turned toward Celeste. “Ah, Celeste. I’m sorry you had to witness that. I never wish to lose challengers for any reason, especially not something like this. Yet we do what we must to keep things fair and sportsmanlike. Thank you for stopping him.”

She nodded. “Sure thing.” Before she could ask the question burning at the tip of her tongue, the chairman turned and started to walk away with a wave over his shoulder. As he disappeared from view, she heard crumbling behind her. A portion of the mural that Bede had been attacking had finally given way after the beating it had taken. Loki drifted over, then disappeared through the opening that had been created. After a moment, he returned, bouncing excitedly. Curious, Celeste moved closer, wary for any additional debris that could fall. She peered through the opening, pulling out her Rotom phone to use as a flashlight. She gasped at the statue that filled the area within. It looked exactly like the Pokémon she had seen in the Slumbering Weald, only the statue had a massive blade in its mouth. A chill ran up her spine and she frowned, recalling Loki before she headed back down into town. She stopped at the Pokémon Center finally and tended to her team before calling a taxi to take her back to Hammerlocke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bede apparently can't figure out how to keep his stupid mouth shut. Maybe someday he'll learn. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ But I doubt it.


	27. A Study in Strategy

That night, when they were watching the highlights from the battles throughout the day, Raihan decided to harass her a bit at the way her battle with Allister had gone. “Still think you’ll be able to make it through all the Gyms without using Loki or Anubis? You looked like you were sweating a bit there.” He pointed out as the footage was showing how she had hesitated, her hand on Loki’s pokeball before she had continued the battle.

She huffed, annoyed. “If I can get through the battle with Opal without having to use them, then yes.” At his raised brow she shrugged. “Two of the four that I’m relying on are Dragons. Opal uses Fairy types. It’s not that much of a stretch to think that if I needed to use either Loki or Anubis before the semifinals, it would be against her. I had kinda figured that I would need at least one other Pokémon besides Morpheus to beat Allister, but the kid really trashed my battle plan with that Disable attack.” She frowned as the highlights showed where Morpheus had definitely landed his Phantom Force against Allister’s Mimikyu. “That Mimikyu of his was quite a bit more than I was expecting too. I know that first attack landed, but it did nothing.” She reached for the remote and paused the stream before reaching for her phone. She typed in a quick search before tsking in irritation. “Well that explains a lot.” She handed her phone to him. His eyes scanned the page before he saw what the problem was.

“It’s special ability basically prevents the first attack against it from doing any damage.” He handed the phone back to her. “I mean, as far as special abilities go, that’s one that could easily change the flow of battle, and in your case, it did.”

She snorted noncommittally before starting the stream back up. They watched the rest of the commentary on her match quietly. Raihan was reaching for the remote to turn everything off when she grabbed his hand. “Wait.” Celeste’s eyes narrowed at the match that was just starting. “I need to see this.” They were showing one of Opal’s matches. Celeste leaned forward, focused as the battle began.

Raihan’s brow raised slightly. “Didn’t think you really cared to watch any of the Gym Leaders that closely before you battled them? You never have before.”

She didn’t look at him. “I also haven’t been at this much of a disadvantage going into any of the Gyms up to this point. I honestly don’t care about her actual battle strategy. I care about what Pokémon she usually battles with. Secondary type advantages are going to be my key to beating her.” Her words were clipped as she stared at the screen. As the battle ended, she frowned. Opal had won and had only needed to use two of her Pokémon. She let out a sigh. “I guess I know what I’m doing the next couple days before we start training.”

Streaming Opal’s previous matches for the current season had fortunately only taken a couple hours the next day. They were still early enough in the challenge season, and there were few enough challengers that had made it that far yet. Unfortunately, it also meant that Celeste hadn’t seen all of Opal’s Pokémon yet. That meant she had to start digging through the archives from the previous year’s footage. That took much longer, but finally she saw the Fairy-Leader’s clinch Pokémon. An Alcremie. She had been sitting there for an hour or so, just staring at the blank tv, lost in thought by the time Raihan had gotten home for the day.

The next day after that, she sat down again with a notebook in front of her. She made a list of the Pokémon she had seen Opal use in the footage. She frowned as she made a list of moves that would be effective against the various types and compared that list to the moves her team currently knew. She went through the possible move combinations that Opal’s Pokémon could have and grimaced. She spent hours going through mock battles in her head and groaned when nine times out of ten, her mock battles ended with her losing. If she started to add Anubis into her battle plans, her victory rate increased, though not to anything satisfactory, since as a Fighting-type, he would still be at a disadvantage to Opal’s Fairy types. She switched Anubis out for Loki, and the victory rate increased again. By the time the day ended, her head was killing her from the amount of thought she had invested trying to come up with a viable strategy to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mimikyu are pretty rare in the Galar region to begin with, and they aren't in Kalos, so Celeste wouldn't have been super familiar with them or their abilities. I also imagine that with as shy as the kid is, he likely hasn't gotten very far in the finals since he became a Gym Leader, so Raihan also isn't super familiar with all of his Pokémon. But Celeste will definitely be ready for it if she has to battle against it again.
> 
> And battling Opal is going to be tricky. Guess we'll see how Celeste plans for it.


	28. A Team Evolution

The next day she was up early, barely waking Raihan up as she kissed him on the cheek before heading out to the Wild Area. As she walked down the steps into the Wild Area, she hesitated, thinking before turning and heading for the Lake of Outrage. There were a few pretty secluded spots out there that she knew she’d be able to have for herself at this stage in the challenge. Once there, she released her entire team and they eagerly surrounded her. She dug through her bag for a minute before coming up with the technical machine that she’d had in her bag for ages. She pulled out her Rotom phone and plugged it in. “Morpheus.” At his name being called, he chirped and floated closer. “This is Steel Wing. I want you to work on learning this next. I’d rather not have to use you or Apollo against Opal if I don’t have to, since you’ll be at such a disadvantage, but if the need arises, this will at least give you a leg up.” He chirped again before floating off with Rotom to start learning the attack.

She eyed the rest of her team for a long minute before she closed her eyes with a sigh and ran her hand through her hair. She wanted to start Aura on learning Hyper Beam, but she would need to evolve first for that. Juno would need to evolve before being able to learn Pyro Ball, which she figured would advance from her Ember attack. The next move she should be able to learn before evolving would be Bounce, but how to start? Apollo would need to evolve again before he learned a couple of the moves she would want him to know in his final form, but she could at least get him working on advancing Water Pulse to Muddy Water. Her eyes narrowed as an idea hit her. She snapped her fingers. “Okay! Apollo! We’re going to get you working on transitioning Water Pulse to Muddy Water. You’re going to attack Juno with it as you work on it. Juno! You’re going to start learning Bounce. Initially I want you to use it as a means of avoiding attacks. Once you’ve got the height of the jump, we’ll work on adding in the landing attack. Get to it!”

She turned toward Anubis. “You might be able to help them work on technique a bit with your abilities. See what you can do.” At his nod, he followed after Apollo and Juno. She turned to Loki and Aura, a grin coming to her face. “Aura, dear.” At her hesitant cry, her expression softened. “I’m going to have you work with Loki. We’re going to work on your resistance and overall strength.” She turned to raise a brow at Loki’s wicked smile. “Push her.” She held up a finger. “But don’t be mean. Remember that we’re all on the same team.” He bounced toward her before phasing through her with a grin. She shivered as goosebumps flew across her skin. “Loki!” She shrieked. “How many times have I told you not to do that!” He giggled wickedly as he floated off after Aura.

Over the next week, she set them off in the same patterns for training. As Morpheus started to get the hang of Steel Wing, she would have Anubis help him work out the kinks, since he had his own Steel-type attack to use as a reference. They were just starting into the second week when Aura evolved. Loki had been pushing her hard and hitting her consistently with his Dark and Ghost attacks when she let out a cry of frustration before being enveloped in bright light. In celebration, Celeste ended their training early that day to give them a break.

By the time Aura evolved, Morpheus had a good enough grasp on Steel Wing that she could start to have him work on perfecting the move by training directly with Anubis and Loki. She sat Aura down after evolving and held up a very special technical machine. “Alright. I came across this a few years ago. It cost me a fortune, but I knew there would be a perfect time to use it. You’re strong enough now that I think you can stop needing to use Life Dew and learn Hyper Beam instead.” She felt the dual Psychic and Fairy type prod at her with a gentle question. Celeste smiled. “It is a super powerful attack.” She let her smile fade and became serious. “But, any attack with this kind of power has a drawback. It takes so much energy that it can leave you defenseless for a bit after using it. So, we can’t just use it willy-nilly. I won’t force you to learn it. If you want, we can figure out something else to balance out your move set. What do you think?” The Hatterene sat there silently for a moment before she reached her tentacle out to place it over Celeste’s hand holding the disc. Celeste smiled before handing the disc over to Rotom so Aura could get to work learning the new move.

They were nearing the end of the third week of training when Juno evolved. She hadn’t quite gotten the hang of Bounce yet, and so Apollo had been hitting her hard as he worked on learning Muddy Water. He was making great progress and had provided just the right push that the Fire-type needed to evolve. On the day she evolved, as the glow faded, she kicked up a pebble and started bouncing it back and forth between her feet, funneling her Ember attack into it. Celeste let a grin come to her face as she watched the ball of fire grow before Juno kicked it at Apollo. He reacted quickly and threw up a Protect and sent the Fire-type a grumpy look. Since the new Pyro Ball attack seemed to be coming much more easily for Juno, Celeste shifted the rabbit’s training for the rest of their allotted month to perfecting it.

As their month of training came to a close, Celeste looked over her team fondly. Juno and Aura were now fully evolved. Juno had perfected her Pyro Ball quickly. Aura had learned Hyper Beam, and though it wasn’t quite perfect yet, it was steadily getting better and would be a good ace up their sleeve. Morpheus had a solid handle on Steel Wing, and Apollo had gotten a solid grasp of Muddy Water. She had spent part of the time outside of perfecting new moves by having her Pokémon work on strengthening up against their weaknesses. Aura had been relentless with her use of Dazzling Gleam against Apollo and Morpheus. Juno had gotten plenty of practice against Apollo’s Muddy Water. And Aura had gotten blasted by Loki’s Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball. Aura was still struggling against her new weakness to Steel-type attacks, but Celeste was sure that there wouldn’t be too much for her to worry about there in the coming battle. As had become her routine, she took a few days off to rest up in Hammerlocke before she made her next challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So, one more chapter to go before we get the battle with Opal! Our team is coming along, and it won't be too much longer until everyone is where they will need to be before we start closing in on the semifinals.


	29. Throwing the Plan Out the Window

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo!!! We are over the 4000 hit mark people!!! So. Much. Love. 💖💖💖💖 Thank you all for sticking with me this far!!

She took a taxi back to Stow-on-Side to make her way from there to Ballonlea. To get to the isolated town without using a taxi, one has to travel through Glimwood Tangle. The feeling inside the forest was ominous, and Celeste quickly pulled out Aura as she walked. The Psychic-type quickly reached out with her own power to dissuade anything from bothering them as they walked. The forest was quiet and there weren’t any trainers that Celeste came across as they traveled. Before too long, they were exiting the forest into Ballonlea. The ominous feeling lifted some, but Celeste still got goosebumps as she walked through the town toward the Gym.

She was a bit caught off guard after she had changed into her uniform and entered the side area for the Gym mission. It was set up like a theater, and Opal was sitting there, eyeing her carefully. One of the Gym trainers stepped up to Celeste and explained the setup. “Miss Opal is in the process of searching for a successor. In addition to battling the trainers she has selected in order to earn a battle with Miss Opal, her mission also serves as an audition of sorts. During the battles, you will be quizzed. While the answers themselves may or may not affect the audition, incorrect answers will either provide your opponents with stat boosts during the battle, or negatively impact your own Pokémon’s stats.” Celeste’s brow rose at the information. It was a bit unorthodox, but considering the source, unorthodox was to be expected. She shrugged as she made for the small stage that they would be using for the battles.

The first trainer sent out a Spritzee. Celeste’s hand hovered over her belt before she settled on her first choice. She didn’t see Opal’s brow raise when she sent out Morpheus. The first question that the Gym trainer asked was a trick question about Fairy-type weakness, as the answer was both options of Steel and Poison. As the battle commenced, Celeste made sure that Morpheus dodged the brunt of the Fairy-type attacks that were sent his way, and that he put all of his effort into each Steel Wing he landed. After the Spritzee fell, the trainer sent out a Slurpuff. Celeste supposed she lucked out with her first battle with both Pokémon being pure Fairy types that would struggle against Morpheus’s Steel-type attack. After she defeated the first trainer, she pulled out a couple of Sitrus berries from her pocket and handed them to Morpheus. She was glad that his favorite berry would also help him recover some before potentially heading into the next battle.

The second Gym trainer was a step up from the first, using a Swirlix and Aromatisse. But again, they were both still pure Fairy types, and had little resistance against the Steel-type attack that Morpheus had worked so hard to learn. He took much more damage during the second battle, but managed to last for the duration by only taking glancing blows. The question for the second battle seemed to be too easy, as it was simply a question of the name of the previous Gym trainer that Celeste had just battled. As soon as the second Gym trainer was down, she recalled Morpheus. She knew he wouldn’t be able to handle another full battle with such a significant type disadvantage.

The third Gym trainer stepped things up even more. She finally started to utilize some dual types. Her first Pokémon was a Morgrem, a dual Dark and Fairy-type. Celeste paused for a moment before sending out Aura. The question for the match threw Celeste for a loop. The trainer asked what her breakfast was on a daily basis. She answered incorrectly and frowned as she felt a strange power settle over the Gym trainer’s Pokémon. She quickly directed Aura to use Dazzling Gleam, as the Fairy-type move would do serious damage against the Morgrem’s secondary Dark typing. She frowned at the trainer’s second Pokémon. It was a Gardevoir, which matched Aura’s dual Fairy and Psychic typing. She abandoned the use of either Psychic or Dazzling gleam in favor of weakening her opponent with Magical Leaf before finally hitting it with Hyper Beam to end the match. She glanced at Opal out of the corner of her eye before walking off the stage toward the door that would lead her to the pitch. She paused off the side of the stage, pulling out a pair of Full Restores from her other pocket before using them on Aura and Morpheus. She checked Morpheus over with a critical eye before returning him to his pokeball, since she wanted to be doubly sure he was up for whatever Opal would throw at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. It didn't take long for Celeste to toss her plan of avoiding using her dragon boys against the Fairy Gym. But to be a Champion, you've got to be bold.


	30. The Not-So-Fairy Grandmother

Satisfied that she still had a few restoratives on hand, she made for the pitch. In the time it had taken her to tend to her team, Opal had made her way to the pitch and was waiting for her. As Celeste approached, the wizened older woman cocked a brow at her and appraised her once more. “I got a good look at how you handled those quizzes. You and your team seem to handle adversity well.”

Celeste smiled. “We certainly do our best.”

Opal let out a harrumph. “The mission isn’t over yet, child. The same circumstances apply to our match as well. I want to see if you have enough Pink to take my place.”

She didn’t allow Celeste to respond before turning to take her place. Celeste schooled her face as she turned to take her own place on the pitch.

“Weezing.”

“Aura.”

“Fairy Wind.”

“Counter with Psychic.” Aura brushed off the Fairy-type attack, landing a solid hit with Psychic. Currently, Celeste had the advantage, though she wasn’t sure how long that would last.

“Time for a quiz.” Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she locked eyes on Opal. “What is my nickname?”

Celeste clenched her teeth silently as she quickly racked her brain for the answer before slowly answering. “The Wizard.” She didn’t allow her voice to show the uncertainty she felt about the answer.

Opal held her gaze for a long moment before she finally nodded. “Correct. Use Sludge.”

“Dodge it and hit it with another Psychic.” The Weezing staggered but remained upright. Celeste’s age helped her take an advantage then as she called out another attack more quickly than Opal could. “Hit it again before it can attack.” It couldn’t withstand a third hit and fell.

Opal’s gaze was sly as she recalled her fallen Pokémon and reached for her second. “Mawile.”

Celeste quickly reached for Aura’s pokeball. “Return.” She placed her back on her belt and reached for her next advantage. “Juno!”

As Juno finished appearing from her pokeball, Opal started to speak. “Time for another question. What is my favorite color?”

Celeste barely hesitated before she responded. “Pink.”

A grin lit up Opal’s face. “That’s what I like to see in other people, but it’s not what I like for myself.”

Celeste’s eyes flicked over to Juno as she flinched as she was affected by whatever power worked inside the Gym. She let out a growl of a command. “Pyro Ball.” The rabbit Pokémon quickly kicked a ball of fire into existence and directed it at the dual Steel and Fairy-type. It barely managed to hang on, quickly bolstering its defenses with Iron Defense before Celeste put a stop to its ability to battle. “Flame Charge.” Her mind started to flip through the possibilities based on what she knew of Opal’s team. There really weren’t any other Pokémon that she had seen Opal use in any of the footage that Juno would have a definitive advantage over. So, the question was, did she keep using Juno to weaken whatever Opal brought out next? Or did she switch her out for either Aura or Morpheus? Her decision was quickly made for her when she called out her next Pokémon.

“Togekiss. And now for another question. How old am I?”

“Not exactly a challenging question there. Eighty-eight.”

Opal frowned at her. “While not wrong, you were hardly sensitive about the matter. Which is the same as getting the question wrong.” Celeste’s eyes widened as she saw Juno flinch again as she was negatively impacted by Opal’s quiz. “Ancient Power.”

“Dodge it!” Celeste growled as she realized Juno’s speed was impacted. She dodged the worst of the highly effective Rock-type attack, but was still grazed. “Pyro Ball!”

Opal’s Togekiss was strong. It was barely fazed by Juno’s attack and quickly responded with another Ancient Power. This time Juno couldn’t dodge fast enough and took the full force of the attack. As she fell to her knees, Celeste’s brow ticked. Her brief upswing in momentum had come crashing back down without a Pokémon with a distinct advantage. Well, without using Loki or Anubis anyway. She brushed her fingers across the Ghost’s pokeball. It rattled briefly before falling silent. She grimaced before she grabbed Aura’s ball once more and sent her back out to battle. “Psychic.” Opal countered with an Air Slash attack. Celeste considered quickly before she called her next attack. “Put everything you have into it, Aura! Hyper Beam!” Celeste flinched at the intensity of the attack. When it faded, Togekiss was out of commission, and Aura was left breathing hard.

She watched helplessly as Opal Gigantamaxed her Alcremie. “You lack Pink. Let us give you some. G-Max Finale!” Since Aura was still recovering from her use of Hyper Beam, she took the full power of the attack and was quickly knocked out.

Celeste grimaced as she reached for her next Pokémon. She quickly moved to Dynamax before sending him out. “Morpheus!” As her Dragon grew to massive proportions, she caught Opal’s quirked brow. “MAX STEELSPIKE!”

The attack slammed into her Alcremie, causing it to stagger. It remained standing as Opal called out her own attack. “G-Max Finale.”

Morpheus cried out with the hit, but the training they had been doing to withstand Aura’s Dazzling Gleam helped him power through. This time Celeste didn’t need to give the word for him to launch another Max Steelspike at the opposing Fairy-type. Much to Celeste’s relief, when the dust from the attacks settled, Alcremie was down. Celeste and Opal returned their Pokémon, Celeste with a promise of Sitrus berries for her Dragon. As Opal met her in the center of the pitch, she let out a sigh. “Your Pink is still lacking, but you’re an excellent trainer with some excellent Pokémon.” She handed Celeste her badge. “It was a good try, but you aren’t what I’m looking for in a successor.”

Celeste quirked a brow. “I’m not offended that you don’t want me to take over your Gym. It’s not what I want anyway.”

She shook her head. “No, I suppose it isn’t. Your sights are set far higher. I look forward to watching the rest of your challenge, dear.” Celeste nodded her thanks and went to change into her regular clothes.


	31. Finally Enough Pink?

The press was relentless. They grilled her about her relationship with Raihan. Who had asked whom out? What had been her favorite date with him? Why did they keep it secret for so long? They grilled her about team. When would they see her final two Pokémon? Why hadn’t she used them in the challenge before now? Which of course then led back to some of the same questions that had hit her so hard after her battle with Kabu. Finally, they grilled her more about her history in Kalos and about her time as Champion. She felt like she had been stuck there for hours before she was finally able to escape their clutches. Once she was free, she made a stop at the Pokémon Center before calling a taxi to head back to Hammerlocke. The taxi had just landed when Opal called out to her. “Hold on now. I’ve got a few errands to run in Hammerlocke. I don’t suppose you would mind sharing your taxi with me?”

“Of course not. It’ll be nice to have someone to chat with.” They both climbed in the taxi and settled themselves before it lifted into the sky.

Opal eyed her critically for a moment before she spoke. “What are you really trying to accomplish by doing the challenge, dear?”

Celeste looked away, a frown on her face. “I…I don’t really know anymore.” She let out a sigh. “When I came back to Galar, I really had every intention of keeping to myself for a while.” She glanced at Opal. “Did you see the interview when Raihan and I were together about a month ago?” At the older woman’s nod, she continued. “I don’t know where they got that information, but they were right when they asked about me running from my ex. I lost my title, and coming home was the perfect way to get away from him. He was getting dangerous, so I ran. And then Lee wanted me to take the challenge. I guess maybe at first, I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t afraid of the spotlight just because of my ex. But, now that I’ve come so far through everything, I just want to see it to the end. To have a full-out battle with Lee for the title, to see which of us is the real Champion.” She glanced up at Opal again. “Does that make sense?”

She let out a chuckle. “Oh, certainly. I just wanted to hear it from you directly. I’ve been around the block once or twice, dear. I could see that there was something bothering you, as much as you tried to hide it. That, and the fact that Leon is a worry-wart and constantly checking up on you through all of us.”

Celeste let out a groan. “Is he really? Why doesn’t he just call me directly?”

“Who knows why that boy does any of the things he does, dear?”

They continued with other small talk, and before long, they had landed in Hammerlocke. They parted ways, Opal to do her shopping, and Celeste heading for the Gym to meet up with Raihan. She pulled up short as she came across Bede. He was standing there, staring in the direction of the Gym, muttering to himself about the chairman. He noticed her after a moment and turned, his face pulling into a frown as he saw it was her. “Come to gawk at me now that I’ve had my Challenge Band taken away and my Gym Challenger status revoked?”

Celeste put her hands on her hips. “Arceus, you are such an insufferable brat! Is it possible for anything other than pompous preening to come out of your mouth? I was actually going to ask you if you were okay, for your information.”

He scoffed. “As if I need your concern. I’ll have you know I haven’t given up. I must become the Champion in order to help the chairman! I’m going to ask him to let me rejoin the Gym Challenge.”

She snorted. “You think that he’ll change his mind? Just like that? After you destroyed a historical landmark?”

He crossed his arms and looked away, a pout on his face. Before Celeste could say anymore, Opal was there, circling Bede. She heard the older woman muttering to herself as she looked Bede over. She made out a couple of mutterings of ‘Pink.’ before she narrowed her eyes and spoke. “Congratulations, child. It’s time for my Gym mission.”

Celeste cocked her head to the side as she watched Bede flounder. “Ms. Opal? What in the world has gotten into you?”

“Come with me child. I might be able to help you. Of course, it depends on how much hard work you are willing to put in, too.”

“Are you….testing me?” He still sounded confused.

“Come along.” She hooked her cane around his wrist and made for the taxis. Celeste watched them go, a smile pulling across her face slowly. She slowly shook her head before she continued on to the Gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shorter chapter today. Basically just keeping the story moving along.


	32. Catching Up

While she was waiting for Raihan to finish up for the day, her phone went off. She was a bit surprised to see that Malva had messaged her.

_Gossip Girl: Been catching up on your matches. Thought you were gonna lay low?_

She let out a snort before she texted her reply.

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ _I couldn’t help it. Lee is almost impossible to say no to._

_Gossip Girl: Didn’t know you knew the Champ there._

_Clearly you haven’t been watching any of the interviews._

_Gossip Girl: Ugh. You know I can’t stand to watch other reporters drivel. Why?_

_I’m pretty sure it’s been mentioned a few times that Lee is basically my big brother._

_Gossip Girl: Huh. So, how’s the new boyfriend? I saw you didn’t waste much time there._ 😉😉

_OMG. He’s wonderful!_ 😍💖💖💖

_Gossip Girl: Details……???_

_For starters, pretty much the complete opposite of Calem._

_Gossip Girl: Meaning he’s not an insecure, obsessed little bitch. That’s a start._

She giggled as she read Malva's description before she replied.

_I mean, he’s the last Gym Leader here, so he’s confident in his own abilities. He knows I’m going to beat him, and he doesn’t care, just wants to have a good battle. His rivalry with Lee is actually a healthy one, based on respect._

_Gossip Girl: And from what I’ve seen on tv, he’s not bad on the eyes either._

Celeste felt her cheeks warming as she responded.

_GIRL. YOU HAVE NO IDEA._

_Gossip Girl: Ooooohhhhh. So, you’re saying he’s good then?_ 😏😏 _LOL_

_You CAN’T share any of this. So, DON’T go there._

_Gossip Girl: Damn. Can’t blame a girl for trying._

_Gossip Girl: Anyway. I’m glad things are working out for you. We’ve all been worried about you. Miss having you around too._

_I miss you guys too._

She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she actually wanted to ask the question that was burning inside of her. Finally, her fingers started typing. She hit send before she could change her mind.

_I almost don’t want to ask……but how have things been going?_

_Gossip Girl: In general, it’s mostly just the same old routine._

_But?_

_Gossip Girl: But Calem came through a week or so ago. Was the first time he’s challenged since right after you left._

_And by the fact that I have to practically pry the story out of you, it wasn’t good._

_Gossip Girl: No. Diantha won, but it was bad. He and his Pokémon looked like hell._

_How bad?_

_Gossip Girl: Not bad enough that we could pull his credentials for abuse. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens before long._

_WHAT??? He…NO._

_Gossip Girl: Diantha made it very clear to him, that if he showed his face at the League again, in the condition that they were all in, that she would do just that._

Celeste just stared at her phone for a few minutes. Her leaving was supposed to be healthy for him. It was supposed to get him to stop obsessing over beating her. After almost ten minutes her phone went off in her hand again.

_Gossip Girl: I know what you’re thinking. It isn’t your fault. He’s the one doing this to himself. It’s why I hesitated to tell you._

_My leaving was supposed to help…not make it worse._

_Gossip Girl: I know. But like I said. This isn’t your fault. Had you stayed, he probably would have done the same._

Celeste was still sitting there, frowning at her phone five minutes later when Malva sent another message.

_Gossip Girl: Oh shit. I’ve got a challenger. I’ve gotta go. Promise me you won’t let this shit about Calem get to you. It really isn’t why I texted you to begin with._

_I promise. Give ‘em hell. Tell the others I say hi._

_Gossip Girl: Will do. Love ya girl._

_Same._

She put her phone away with a frown before she shook her head. She promised Malva she wouldn’t let it bother her, and she wouldn’t. By the time she was putting her phone away, Raihan was finishing up. She hopped down the stairs to the pitch and met him halfway, bumping her hip into his as he wrapped an arm over her shoulder as they started walking home. “I take it you beat Opal?”

She nodded. “Mmhm. It went about how I thought it would. Had to use three out of the four again.”

“She could be higher up on the circuit if she really fought for it, so that’s not really surprising.”

“Yeah. I’m not sure what I would have done for my fourth Pokémon. I would have been torn between finishing with Apollo and hoping he could hold out or going with Loki. It would have been tough.” He hummed in response. “I shared a taxi with Opal on my way back here. She’s an interesting lady. She sees a lot more than what I would have given her credit for.”

“Such as?”

“She had a pretty good read on me over the last few months. Knew that something was up. Doesn’t help that apparently Lee has been pestering everyone, checking up on me all the time.” She frowned. “I’m gonna have to have a word with him. He does realize that this isn’t exactly my first time, right?”

Raihan laughed. “In all fairness, he checks up on Hop more than he does you.”

“Hop I get. He’s still a kid. But me? Kalos is a far larger region than Galar. Far larger population. Far larger criminal organization trying to take over the world. And I got through all of it and became the Champion of the region. It’s ridiculous that he would worry so much.”

Raihan’s brows pulled into a frown. “What do you mean, larger criminal organization? We don’t have one here at all.”

She sent him a flat look. “I wouldn’t be sure about that. I still think there is something off about the chairman and what his workings with the kid he sponsored was all about. Oh! Speaking of which. I think Opal found her successor.”

“You’re kidding.”

She shook her head. “Nope. Of all people, it’s that kid the chairman sponsored.”

“I thought I heard he had his challenger status revoked.” He frowned.

“He did. I ran into him on my way to the Gym to meet you. Opal came across him and went into a frenzy. I heard her mutter a few things about ‘Pink’, whatever that actually means. And then she dragged him away, back to Ballonlea.”

He looked at her, mouth slack as he tried to picture what she had just told him. He finally closed his mouth before uttering a single word. “Huh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know in canon, Malva was fairly hostile to the MC because of her involvement with Team Flare. I feel like, after a few years, that animosity would have died down and she and Celeste would have ended up being pretty friendly. Especially as things with Calem progressed the way they did prior to her leaving Kalos at the beginning of the story. And since Malva is a reporter in addition to her Elite Four duties, of course she's gonna want the scoop on the former champ's new man. It's also where Celeste gets her nickname for her. 😁


	33. Suspicious Activity

That night, while Raihan made dinner, she made a video call to Leon.

“Hey sis. What’s going on?”

She crossed her arms frowning. “Don’t you ‘hey sis’ me, Lee. Why am I hearing that you’ve been pestering all the Leaders checking up on me? Did it not occur to you to just text me directly?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Oh. Um.” He glanced away before he looked back to see her still frowning at him. “I didn’t think you’d like having me check up on you.”

She sighed. “I don’t care if you want to check up on me from time to time, though it’s hardly necessary. But quit bugging everyone else.” He visibly relaxed and she narrowed her eyes, her voice turning suspicious. “Why exactly were you checking up on me? That was an awful lot of relief Lee.”

He stiffened. “I wanted to make sure your challenge was going okay?”

Raihan snorted behind her in the kitchen. She frowned as she looked at Leon. “You aren’t a very good liar, Lee. What’s really going on?”

“You might as well just tell her whatever it is that you’re really doing.” Raihan added dryly. He also knew how terrible of a liar his best friend was.

Leon sighed in defeat. “I was worried that your ex would be giving you problems while you’re trying to focus on the challenge. It’s why I didn’t want to check on you directly, because it would stress you out.”

She facepalmed. “So instead you’ve basically let all the Leaders know that I have a psycho ex and invited them into my personal business.” She groaned before she looked up at him, irritated. “I appreciate the concern, Lee, but I can take care of myself. Let it go.” She ended the call before he could properly apologize. She turned her attention to Raihan. “You knew about this?”

He shook his head. “Not the full extent or the exact reason why. He tried to check on you once through me and I told him that if he was worried about you, he should check on you himself. He didn’t ask me again, so I thought he’d given it up.” She flopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “At least he cares enough to be worried about you. Try not to be too hard on him.”

She let out another sigh. “I know. It’s just frustrating that everyone else has an idea of why I came home in the first place. And that it wasn’t just because I lost my title.”

He chuckled. “Use it as extra motivation to beat him? Assuming you get through me, that is.”

“Fine. But he still owes me an apology.” By the time they were finished, he was just finishing dinner. They went through their usual routine of watching recaps of the various matches from the day before falling asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms.

It was the middle of the night when a series of thundering booms echoed through Hammerlocke. The first jarred both Celeste and Raihan from sleep, each sitting up and flicking lights on while reaching for a pokeball. At the second, they were throwing clothes on, Raihan glancing out the window to see an eerie red glow in the direction of the Gym. He let out a low curse as a third boom sounded. “It’s gotta be the power plant.”

Celeste had just placed her last pokeball on her hip. “I’ll follow your lead, Rai. It’s your town, your Gym.”

He met her eyes for a minute and sighed before he simply headed for the door. It wasn’t worth arguing with her. She would come whether he wanted her to or not. He certainly didn’t doubt her abilities, but he was worried about her safety when it came to potential problems with the power plant. The entrance to the power plant was just inside the entrance to the Gym. He frowned when there were a pair of guards standing there. “What’s going on here?”

One of the guards eyed him coolly. “Nothing for you to worry about, Leader Raihan.”

“If there’s nothing to worry about, then what the hell was that series of booms? Why was there a glow like a Dynamax spot surrounding my Gym in the middle of the night, at the same time that those booms were sounding?”

“It certainly doesn’t sound like nothing to be worried about to us.” Celeste added, her arms crossed. There was a scowl on her face as she stared down the guards.

“With respect, the power plant and its interests don’t fall under your jurisdiction, Leader Raihan. Chairman Rose is well aware of the situation and has everything well in hand. As such, there is nothing to be worried about.”

Raihan’s voice lowered to a growl. “You forget that the power plant sits beneath my Gym. As the Gym Leader, it is my responsibility to protect this city. Now either let me pass, or get me the Chairman, because until I know what the hell is going on, I’m not leaving.” He felt Celeste place a hand on his arm in support, her other hand hovering less than subtly over her pokeballs.

They were all tense for a long moment, no one moving, before the doors to the power plant opened and Chairman Rose stepped out. Celeste saw his eyes flicker quickly with some emotion before his usual warm smile graced his face. “Ah, Leader Raihan, Champion Celeste. I sincerely apologize for the disturbance so late in the night. You see, we’ve been working on a few new updates to the plant. One of them is a bit experimental, so we were conducting a few controlled tests. One of the tests didn’t go as expected, but I assure you, it is all under control now.”

Celeste glanced at Raihan to judge how much of the Chairman’s words he believed. She was pleased to see his eyes narrowed slightly before he let out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll accept that. Next time, Chairman, perhaps you’d do us a favor and let us know about any tests you might be doing. The next time something like this happens, I may not be so cooperative with your guards.”

Celeste felt a chill at the slight change in the Chairman’s expression. “Again, I apologize. I will make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again. Goodnight, both of you.”

“Goodnight.” Raihan’s reply was gruff.

“Goodnight.” Celeste kept her eyes on the Chairman as he went back through the doors. Finally turning to follow Raihan as the doors shut. She was quiet as they returned home, but as soon as they were inside, she put her hands on her hips. “Please tell me that you realize he’s lying.”

Raihan met her gaze before letting out a sigh. “Of course, he was. I’m tired, not stupid. But what was I supposed to do? I have no evidence otherwise, and the commotion had stopped by the time we got to the Gym.”

“So, you believe me? You believe that there is something going on with the Chairman?”

He frowned at the skeptical look she was giving him. “I don’t know that I would have been one hundred percent on board before, but after the way he acted tonight? Yeah, I believe you.” He stepped closer to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “There’s nothing we can do about it tonight. Let’s get some sleep. Either way, you have your challenge to worry about. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

She scoffed. “As if I’ll be able to sleep after the adrenaline kick from all of this.” Despite her protest, once she was snuggled up against Raihan’s chest, she quickly grew drowsy and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. SEE. YOU. ROSE. You may have most of Galar fooled, but not Celeste. And not our Dragon Boy. I just felt like they made such a minor deal about the earthquake/explosion in the game. Like 'Eh, it's only a big boom in the middle of the main city of the region, but you kids run along to the next town and have your little battles. Okay, bye!'. Like, really? 😑😑😑


	34. The Professor's Aid

The next morning, Raihan reassured her that he would look into whatever it really was that had happened at the power plant the night before. He insisted that she focus on her challenge and get her next month of training going. She had frowned at him and been hesitant to leave it all to him, but a well-timed kiss to her forehead and a few select words of encouragement had her melting in his hands. She finally relented and headed for the Wild Area, setting off for the area she had been using out by the Lake of Outrage.

She had barely set her bag down when all of her Pokémon released themselves, eager to start the next phase of their training. She let out a chuckle at their eager expressions before she clapped her hands. “Okay! Great work everyone on getting through the battle with Opal. Between now and our battle with Rai, it should be fairly smooth sailing again. We’ve got Gordie and Melony coming up next. Gordie uses Rock types and Melony uses Ice.” She glanced at Aura. “Aura, dear.” The Hatterene let out a gentle cry in response. “You’re fully evolved and have, what I think, is the best move set for your place on the team. From here on out, you’ll play support in training for the others, as well as just continuing to get stronger.”

She set her focus on Juno next. “Juno. You’re going to be one of the main heavy hitters against Melony’s Ice types. You’ve pretty much got Pyro Ball down. I think we need to work on ramping up Flame Charge into Overheat first. She started to dig through her bag. She frowned when the TM she was looking for wasn’t there. She pulled out her phone to see if any of the shops in Galar carried the TM. Frowning when she came up empty, she sighed, knowing her next best bet was going to be back in Kalos. “Rotom, can you call Professor Sycamore for me?”

It rang several times before he finally answered. “Bonjour…Celeste?” His eyes brightened when he saw her. “It’s so good to hear from you! How have you been?”

She laughed. “I’m doing well, Professor. How about yourself?”

“Oh, you know how things go. I can’t complain too much. Garchomp misses seeing you.”

“Well, give her a scratch for me. Listen, Professor, I wish I could talk longer, but I’m in the middle of training for the next Gym for my challenge here in Galar. I was going to teach one of my Pokémon Overheat, but it seems I’ve misplaced the TM. If I wire you the money, can you go to Kiloude and buy one for me and send it to me?”

“Oui! Of course! I’d be happy to help. I assume you still have my information?”

She nodded. “Yup! I’ll attach the address to send it to.”

“I’ll let you get back to your training then. Don’t be a stranger!”

“Merci, Professor! As soon as things slow down here, I’ll make sure to call to catch up properly.”

“I’ll hold you to it. Au revoir!”

Smiling, she ended the call and looked at Juno. “Well, that changes our schedule a bit, since it will be at least a few days before we get the TM from him.” She quickly opened the app on her phone to wire him the money she promised. She sent him a quick text with Raihan’s address, since she spent most of her time there when she wasn’t training. She went back to her bag and dug out another TM, holding it out for Juno. “I wasn’t going to worry as much about this until we got Overheat out of the way, but since that is on hold, this is Focus Blast. It’s a far stronger Fighting-type move that I want you to learn to replace Double Kick. Anubis?” Her Lucario walked over. “Think you can help Juno out? I think it’s similar enough to Aura Sphere that you ought to be able to.” At his nod, she smiled. “Good. Then why don’t the two of you go get started?”

She turned her attention to both of her Dragons. “Apollo, I know you should be getting close to evolving again.” He swayed side to side, letting out a trill in acknowledgement. “I honestly think that maybe you are getting close as well, Morpheus, even though you evolved more recently.” He chirped in response. “Apollo, you’ll have to evolve before you can learn the last couple of moves we’ll need. So, for now, focus on getting as strong as you can. Morpheus, we talked about it a bit before, but I think it’s time for you to start working on Dragon Rush.” She narrowed her eyes in thought before calling out. “Loki?” Her Gengar gleefully bounced over to her. “I need you to switch out with Deimos for a bit.” He instantly fell into a pout. “It’s not permanent, since I can’t battle with him here, but I need him to help Morpheus learn Dragon Rush.” He still frowned at her before he nodded, crossing his arms as he did, still clearly pouting at the idea.

She quickly returned him and accessed her storage box. She switched him out for Deimos and released him from his pokeball. With a growl, he had tackled her, rubbing his rough scales against her face with excitement. “Ow! Deimos! I know!” She started to laugh at his attack. “I’m happy to see you too, but that hurts.” He finally relented and released her. He looked at the newer members of her team and tilted his head as he rumbled what sounded like a question toward her. Celeste smiled in return. “I need your experience. Morpheus here…” He chirped as he floated closer. “…needs to learn Dragon Rush. I figured that you could help him figure it out.”

She watched as her Garchomp appraised the younger Dragon. As he let out a low growl, her other Pokémon backed away. Morpheus didn’t back down. He simply flicked his tail back and forth before he finally let out a growl of his own. Celeste was a bit surprised at the sound, since he had only ever chirped for her, she wasn’t actually sure that he could growl like most of her other Dragons did. When the younger Dragon didn’t back down, Deimos moved to attack. Celeste stayed silent as the two Dragons fought for dominance. After a decidedly short battle, Morpheus finally backed down. Satisfied, Deimos nodded before rumbling his approval. He turned to her and nodded before the pair wandered off to start working on Dragon Rush.

Shaking her head, she looked back to Aura and Apollo. “Well, I think that means that you two need to get to work. Push each other hard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that in Sword/Shield, many of the TM’s from previous generations become TR’s, which are not reusable, and are also significantly much more difficult to obtain. I know that Overheat is technically a TR in the game, but I don’t like the concept of the TR compared to the TM’s, so for the sake of the story, it will still be a TM. Although, for a bit of consistency, it was still difficult for Celeste to get her hands on. (In X/Y you could buy Overheat in Kiloude City for 80,000 pokedollars which is approximately 800 USD based on previous AN on currency.)
> 
> And I have a tendency to try to collect all of the TM's in any given game, including the super expensive ones that you have to buy. As a Champion level trainer, it's practical to have a collection of TM's at your disposal. So, of course Celeste is going to have a pretty extensive collection of training tools at her fingertips. Who knows what happened to the original Overheat TM that she had, but at least she has a contact that can help her out.


	35. A Concerned Sibling

About a week later, Celeste got her package from Professor Sycamore. Since Juno was already well on her way to getting Focus Blast down, she waited to have her work on the new TM. Morpheus was steadily getting the hang of Dragon Rush, thanks to Deimos, and Apollo finally evolved. She was quick to put him to work learning Power Whip. The Grass-type move would be essential in combination with Muddy Water in her battle against Gordie. By the end of the second week of training, she was able to switch Deimos back out for Loki, who was still pouting about his time in the storage box. Juno had gotten enough hold on Focus Blast that she was able to start her off on Overheat to replace Flame Charge. They continued their training for the next couple of weeks before Celeste was ready to call training quits.

She was disappointed that Raihan hadn’t been able to find out anything more about the incident with the power plant during her month of training. But she wasn’t really all that surprised. When Lysandre had done everything that he had, there was little evidence to point to him directly. Even with as outrageous as Team Flare and their outfits had been. So she didn’t really expect for Raihan to be able to find much on Rose, since he was obviously much more careful about whatever it was that he was up to.

The night before she was going to head for Circhester, Hop called her. “What’s up, bro?”

“Are you still in Hammerlocke?” His face was unusually serious, causing her to frown.

“Yeah. I was going to head up Route 7 tomorrow. Why?”

“I want to battle you in the morning before you head out. I want to see where I’m at.”

She frowned in concern. “I’m always happy to battle you, Hop. Are you sure you’re okay?”

He tried to smile, ending with more of a grimace than anything. “Yeah. I’m good. I’ll see you in the morning, sis. Night.”

He ended the call before she could say anything more. Frowning, she called Leon. “Hey, sis…what’s wrong?” His greeting fell flat when he saw the frown on her face.

“Have you talked to Hop recently?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve tried calling him a couple times, but it always goes to message. He’ll text me back a few hours later, but I haven’t actually talked to him for a while now.”

“He just called me to ask for a battle tomorrow before I head out on Route 7. He was….unusually serious.”

“Did something happen?”

She shrugged. “He battled me a couple months back in Stow-on-Side. Obviously, I beat him. He was super down then, because that kid the chairman had sponsored had beat him pretty badly in the Wild Area and said some pretty nasty things to him. He, of course, took it to heart. I tried to set him straight, but I’m worried about him, Lee.”

He frowned as he thought about what she told him. He was still frowning when he spoke next. “See how things go tomorrow with him. If you’re still worried, let me know, and I’ll visit him.” He sighed. “Worst case scenario, I’ll call mum to have her sort him out.”

“Alright. Will do.” She hung up and sighed.

Raihan walked in as she sighed. “What is it?” He pulled his shirt off and got into bed beside her.

“My brothers are being stupid.” She groused as she cuddled against him. “Hop’s down still, and wants to battle me tomorrow. Lee hasn’t talked to him for a couple months, despite trying, because Hop is avoiding him. So, in addition to the challenge and whatever the hell is going on with the chairman, I have to fix a pair of stupid boys. Oh, and I still have a pouting Ghost that I have to get sorted out between now and the semis.”

“He’s still pouting about the two weeks he spent in the storage box?”

She groaned as she buried her face against his chest. “You have no idea. You would think that I told him I hated him or something like that. He’s being so damned dramatic. And it’s not like I did it for no reason. I needed Deimos to help train with Morpheus.” She let out a long sigh.

Raihan was quiet for a few minutes before he let out a small snort. “I have an idea.” She peeled her face away from his chest to look at him with a raised brow. “After you finish up in Circhester, why don’t you head over to Stow-on-Side and see if Allister will have a quick training battle with you?”

Her jaw fell slack and she just stared at him dumbly for a minute. Then she sat up and squeezed his face between her hands gently before kissing him. “You, sir, are a genius.” She kissed him again before she released him and laid back down against him. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.” She joked.

“You mean besides my good looks?” She hummed. “And my amazing cuddles?” She snorted at his tone. He gasped in mock hurt. “You mean all this time you’ve just been using me for my body?” As a laugh finally escaped her lips, he started to tickle her.

“Eep. Rai!” She twisted, but he had the advantage, his arms wrapped around her, keeping her in place. “Ahahaha! Rai! Stop!”

When he finally relented, he chuckled. “Feel better?”

She snuggled back against him. “Yeah, thanks.” She poked him in the ribs. “But the tickling was hardly necessary.” He just hummed in response and tightened his hold on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! One more chapter to go, and then we'll finally be starting Circhester. 
> 
> Poor Loki is absolutely the best Ghost boy, but he is hardcore pouting about his time in the storage box. Even in Kalos, he never really had to spend any time away from Celeste, so the poor boy is taking it hard.


	36. A Spark of Determination

The next morning, she met Hop on the bridge leading out of Hammerlocke, out to Route 7. He didn’t say too much to her other than a curt ‘Morning.’ And it made her brow twitch. She planted her hands on her hips. “Alright, enough. What’s eating at you?”

He frowned at her. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

“Fine. Beat me, and I’ll drop it.” She growled, reaching for a pokeball. They called out their first Pokémon at the same time. “Juno.”

“Trevenant. Confuse Ray.”

“Pyro Ball before it attacks.” Juno launched her ball of fire at Trevenant, but before it hit, it managed to get off its attack. She staggered for a moment, shaking her head. The dual Ghost and Grass-type was still standing, but barely. She spoke very carefully. “Juno.” At the sound of her voice, the rabbit Pokémon stumbled, turning one way and then another before finally locating Celeste. “That’s it, focus on my voice.”

“Shadow Claw!”

Celeste ignored Hop for a moment, remaining calm. “Juno. Start building up Overheat. Don’t release it until I tell you. Good. Don’t move.” As Hop’s Trevenant closed in on Juno, Celeste watched carefully. “Release it now!” Even in her confusion, Celeste’s calm instructions were able to keep her grounded enough to attack successfully, knocking out Hop’s first Pokémon. “Good job. Return.”

“Heatmor!”

“Apollo. Muddy Water.”

“Fire Lash.” Hop called out his attack too late, and his Heatmor couldn’t stand against such a powerful Water-type attack.

“Boltund! Spark!”

“Protect. Then Dragon Pulse and Power Whip.”

“Dodge it and use Crunch!” The Electric-type managed to dodge the Dragon Pulse attack, but couldn’t move fast enough to dodge the follow-up Grass-type attack. Even though there wasn’t a particular type advantage to the attack, there was enough difference in power that Boltund staggered with the hit. His counterattack barely phased Apollo as he countered without Celeste’s instruction, slamming another Power Whip into the already weakened Electric-type. As Hop returned his Boltund, Juno’s pokeball wiggled on her hip. With a glance down at her pokeballs, she recalled Apollo.

“Snorlax.”

“Juno.” She was pleased to see that the rabbit Pokémon was standing steady on her feet. Unlike many conditions, confusion was typically quickly resolved with a bit of time in a pokeball.

“Body Slam.”

“Dodge it and use Focus Blast.” She had to give Hop some credit, his Snorlax barely seemed phased by the massive hit that Juno landed against him. But it was at a huge disadvantage when it came to speed. All Juno would need to do is wear it down and avoid its attacks. As Hop called out his next attack, Juno and Celeste nodded at each other.

“Body Slam again.” Juno quickly dodged and hit it with another Focus Blast. After the second hit, it was starting to show some fatigue, so she simply let Hop make his next move before Juno landed the finishing blow.

“Again.” He was gritting his teeth when his Snorlax fell after the third Focus Blast hit. “Rillaboom, Brutal Swing.”

“Dodge it and use Pyro Ball.”

“Slam.”

“Finish it with Overheat.”

He sighed as they returned their Pokémon. He leaned on the railing of the bridge, looking out over the Wild Area. She simply stood next to him, waiting for him to talk. When he finally did, his words were quiet. “Before the challenge started, I remember watching you and Lee on tv. You both were like bright stars, so strong I could hardly bear to look right at you. But now...I can tell just how strong you both are. And what you’ve both got that I don’t.” He sighed again. “I’m not giving up though. I’m still getting stronger.” He glanced over at her. “I think I know what it is that I want now. I want to battle you and Lee. But not just that. I want to win, to say that I not only beat the former Champion of Kalos, but that I also beat the Unbeatable Champion. I’m not going to let anyone else say what I can or can’t do anymore.”

She plopped a hand on top of his head. “Listen to you. Starting to sound like an adult finally.” She ruffled his hair. Before he could protest, she pulled her hand away. “You know you can talk to either of us, whenever you are struggling, bro.” At his raised brow she continued. “I talked with Lee last night after you called. He said you haven’t been answering his calls. He’s been worried about you. Even threatened to go to mom to pull you out of it if needed.”

He sighed. “Sorry. I’ve just been trying to find my groove after that kid totally trashed me. I mean, I keep losing to you too, but it’s different, you know?”

She nodded. “Because I’m not a little bitch about it?”

He laughed. “Yeah. I guess that sums up what I was going to say. I was going to say that I know you’re not judging me for losing. You’re trying to teach me to be better. But your description works too.”

She clapped him on the shoulder. “C’mon. Let’s get our teams taken care of, and then I’ve got to head to Circhester.”

As they started walking, he asked quietly. “Hey sis?” At her hummed response he continued. “Can I battle you again after I win in Circhester?”

“Anytime, Hop. You just have to ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Hop is getting his head on straight. He's gonna make his big sis and big bro proud if he's not careful. 😃
> 
> Never fear, we finally will be getting Circhester started in the next chapter!


	37. A Test of Patience

Hop left her after they visited the Pokémon Center, heading off to the Wild Area to train once more. After she watched him go, she turned to head back toward Route 7. She ran into a few trainers before the Route split. She took the northern path, that turned into Route 8. She was a bit disappointed to see that the majority of Route 8 was devoid of any trainers. The ruins that encompassed much of the Route were a hot spot for wild Pokémon, great for training, or building up a team. She flushed a few different nests of Pawniard as she passed through, but it wasn’t anything that her team couldn’t handle.

As she emerged on the other side of the ruins, she was beginning to feel the chill in the air that meant she was getting closer to Circhester. The Route turned progressively colder the further north she went, and when there was finally snow visible on the ground, she started encountering trainers again. It was nearly dark by the time she arrived in Circhester. She stopped in at the Pokémon Center and made sure her team was in top shape. While she was there, she snagged a room for the night before she went out to check out the hot springs.

The challenge in Circhester, the next day, was a test of patience. She was given a pair of dowsing rods. It was explained that there were pitfall traps planted through a series of four rooms. Two of the rooms would be filled with ice and snow, representative of Melony’s Ice specialty. The other two rooms would similarly be representative of Gordie’s Rock types. Each room had a pair of trainers. She was told that there was only one path through each room, and the only way to find the safe path, was to use the dowsing rods. They would indicate where the traps were. It took her nearly an hour to traverse the first room, as there were a couple of dead ends that she ran into along the way. Similar to the Gym mission in Stow-on-Side, there were trainers representing either of the Gym Leader’s specialties in each room.

The first trainers sent out a Crustle and a Boldore. Celeste quickly sent out Apollo and Aura, absolutely dominating the battle with Magical Leaf and Muddy Water before heading into the next room. The second room took even longer than the first, as it was the first of the Ice themed rooms, and she had to be extra careful to avoid face-planting as she navigated the trap-laden path. When she finally reached the other side, the two trainers sent out a Cloyster and a Snom. She called out Juno and Aura. This time she had Aura focus on the Ice and Water type with her Magical Leaf. She was quick to direct Juno to use Overheat on the Snom, quickly defeating the dual Ice and Bug type. The second battle lasted a bit longer than the first, but she was proud of her team. They seamlessly moved to protect each other from their opponents before finishing the battle.

The third room stepped up the environment from the first by including a raging sandstorm. Celeste had a brief thought that Raihan would be proud of the use of weather effects, but didn’t dare open her mouth to laugh. She came very close to triggering a couple of the different traps, with the sandstorm blowing into her dowsing machine and affecting its readings, but she recovered and was starting to lose her patience by the time she reached the third set of trainers. They sent out a Sudowoodo and a Carkoal against her. This time she had Aura simply back up Apollo with her Magical Leaf, but had Apollo handle the majority of the battle. She had Apollo use Muddy Water to trash the Carkoal’s dual Rock and Fire typing. The attack also hit the Sudowoodo, and he was quick to finish it with his Power Whip.

She let out a long sigh as she stepped into the final room and saw that it was likewise stepped up a notch, with a full-on blizzard replacing the sandstorm she had just left behind. This time she did trigger a couple of the traps. Between the blowing snow affecting the dowsing machine, and her sliding on the icy floor, it was practically unavoidable. They had tried to soften the landing area under the traps, but they still hurt, and she rubbed her ass gently after she triggered the second trap, wincing at the bruise that she expected would be forming.

She triggered two more traps before she was finally able to clear the room. The trainers that were waiting for her sent out an Avalugg and a Beartic. Juno and Aura took one look at her expression when she called them out, then looked at each other and nodded before they attacked without needing any command. Aura held the Avalugg in place with Psychic while Juno used Overheat on Beartic. As soon as it was down, she turned a Pyro Ball on the Avalugg. As the trainers congratulated her for completing the Gym mission, she growled out who she wanted to challenge first. “I’ll battle Melony first.” They told her to come back to the Gym first thing in the morning to make her challenge, and that they would let the Leaders know of her choice.

Once she saw to her Pokémon, she headed for her room to take a long shower. The sandstorm room had left her filthy. The blizzard room had left her cold and bruising. As soon as she was clean, she headed back to the hot springs to let her sore muscles soak in the wonderful warmth. When she was getting ready to head to bed, she got a video call from Raihan. She answered while she was brushing her hair out. “Hey babe.”

“How was the Gym mission today?”

She stopped brushing her hair and gave him a flat look. “Did you give Melony and Gordie the idea to have a sandstorm and a stupid blizzard in their mission?”

He cleared his throat and looked away, awkwardly mumbling. “I may have mentioned it once or twice.”

She held up her brush to shake it at him. “Why would you do that? Do you have any idea how damn sore my ass is from falling into their stupid pitfall traps? Because as if they icy floor wasn’t enough of a hazard, you had to add in blowing snow to make it twice as difficult to navigate. At least with the sandstorm the ground itself wasn’t a death trap.”

He gave her an apologetic look. “I didn’t realize they had actually started to include the weather effects. Sorry babe.”

She sighed. “It’s fine. You’ll just have to do something about it when I get home, to make up for it.”

His brow raised before a grin came to his face. “I’ll be more than happy to take care of your glorious ass when you get home. That’s the kind of punishment I can get behind.”

She blushed. “Anyway. I was gonna head to bed so I could wipe Melony out first thing tomorrow.”

“Alright. Night, babe. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” After she ended the call, she sat there staring at her phone. They had just, without even really thinking about it, taken a huge step in their relationship. It wasn’t that she hadn’t already had a pretty good idea about how Raihan felt about her, they just hadn’t said it aloud before then. She blinked a couple of times before she flopped back onto her bed, a giggle coming to her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It totally would have been Raihan's idea to add in the weather effects into the Gym mission. I see it being something that would have come up in the off-season. Gordie and/or Melony would have been complaining about how easily the previous season's challengers made it through their mission, and then Raihan would have just casually mentioned something along the lines of 'Well, you could always change the weather.' only partially being serious because that's his thing. And then Melony's eyes would have lit up like it was the greatest idea ever. And poor Celeste has to pay the price for her boyfriend being so 'helpful'.
> 
> And yeah, that is actually the first time that the two of them have said they love each other in the story. I had to go back and make sure.


	38. Melting The Ice

When she arrived at the Gym in the morning, the staff confirmed that she still wanted to battle Melony first before leading her back to the locker room. Apparently, it was really that unusual of an occurrence that they had to double check. She gave them the affirmative before changing into her uniform and heading for the pitch. Goosebumps prickled up her arms when she stepped on to the field. The temperature in the stadium had been dropped to nearly freezing to accommodate the Ice Leader’s Pokémon. As she walked to the center of the pitch to meet Melony, Juno’s pokeball warmed against her hip, providing some much-needed relief. Melony seemed quite comfortable with the frigid temperatures and smiled when Celeste stopped in front of her. “I have to say, most trainers don’t decide to battle me before they battle Gordie. I’m a bit surprised. What made you pick me first?”

Her irritation from the previous day had waned quite a bit, so she really didn’t have a good reason. Sure, she wanted to be different from everyone else, but that really wasn't a great reason either. A quick thought came to mind and she ran with it. A low chuckle left Celeste’s lips as she started to improvise. “It’s simple, really. The Gym Challenge is just as much a psychological test as it is a test of skill. It was pure strategy.”

The Ice-Master tilted her head slightly. “Oh? And how do you come to that conclusion?”

“Look at everything that’s happened in the Challenge so far. I came in, a former Champion. Undefeated in my entire career except for one battle. And I didn’t just lose my title to some green challenger, but the woman that I took my title from in the first place. Just the threat that I posed made Milo, Nessa, and Kabu change their formats to try to defeat me. And now, when I beat you, that will play on my battle with Gordie.”

Melony frowned. “What makes you think that?”

“All children, no matter their age, have a certain reverence for their parents. Defeating you first will cast a shadow of doubt in his mind.” Celeste shrugged then. “Not that I need it. But it’s still entertaining. That is pretty much the only reason I wanted to battle you first.”

“Then you should prepare to be disappointed. After all that, I refuse to be defeated.”

With that, she turned to take her position. Celeste reached for a pokeball, tossing it in the air once before releasing her Pokémon. “Juno!”

“Frosmoth. Hail.”

“Pyro Ball.” The temperature on the pitch instantly rose as the ball of fire shot straight at the dual Ice and Bug-type. A haze of steam rose for a moment after the attack connected but cleared to show an unconscious Frosmoth. As Melony recalled her first fallen Pokémon, Juno twitched as the hailstones began to fall. Celeste changed her posture, hunching forward slightly and lifting an arm to protect her face from the weather change. She could see that the hailstones were starting to melt before they could hit Juno, but they were still large enough to be causing damage.

“Darmantian. Icicle Crash followed by Headbutt.”

“Dodge it and use Pyro Ball again.” Juno easily dodged the spears of ice that Darmantian launched at her, but Melony had clearly trained to be at a disadvantage, because her Pokémon used the cover of the ice to land its Headbutt squarely when Juno dodged one of the spears. She took advantage of the hit to land her own attack, once again knocking out Melony’s Pokémon and coming to rest in front of Celeste, breathing a bit harder than Celeste would have expected at this point in their battle. Her Darmantian had clearly hit hard.

“Eiscue. Freeze-Dry.”

“Counter with Overheat.” She was surprised when the penguin Pokémon was able to withstand the attack. “Finish it with Pyro Ball before it can recover.”

“Dodge it and use Icy Wind.” Melony tried to counter Celeste’s aggressive tactics, but her Eiscue wasn’t fast enough. She frowned as she pulled out her last Pokémon and Dynamaxed it. “Let’s go, Lapras!”

Celeste’s eyes widened a fraction as she reacted. “Juno. Return.” She reached for her next pokeball without any hesitation, Dynamaxing as well. “Let’s go, Aura. Max Overgrowth.”

“G-Max Resonance.”

Neither Pokémon was significantly damaged. The Lapras’ dual typing gave it a measure of resistance against the Grass-type attack, but a significant advantage over Juno. She’d had to simply react and call out Aura. And now that she had her out, she wasn’t sure she would be able to win with her. “Again.”

“Max Hailstorm.” Both Pokémon staggered with the second hit that they each took. Melony was quick to call out. “Again.”

“One more time, Aura.” As the energies clashed, both trainers braced themselves. Dual explosions of energy signaled the end of the Dynamax effect for both Pokémon as they both fainted. They both recalled their fallen Pokémon as the crowd cheered at the way the battle ended.

Melony met her at the center of the pitch and offered her hand. “I hate to admit it, but you are very good.”

“Raihan did warn you all.” She smiled, cheekily.

Melony let out a light giggle. “I suppose he did. I’ll be watching your battle with Gordie tomorrow. I’ll be interested to see if what you said holds any weight. Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what made me come up with the psychological crap. I was thinking about what kind of dialogue would happen between someone like Melony, who is dubbed the 'Ice-Cold Professional' and Celeste. But I suppose, when you think about it, it's not too far off the mark. How nervous would some of the later Gym Leaders be as they watch Celeste's battles with the Leaders before them, especially her battle with Opal when she was at such a huge type disadvantage? Maybe there is actually something to it. But does Celeste actually believe it? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	39. The Rock Crumbles

The next day, the atmosphere in the stadium had completely changed. Gordie was waiting for her in the center of the pitch, his arms crossed. His eyes were not nearly as friendly as they had been at the kick-off party, and Celeste let a small smirk grace her lips as she approached. “You look unhappy to see me, Gordie.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Don’t play games with me, Celeste. You may have gotten into my mother’s head, but you won’t get into mine.”

Her smirk turned into a full-on grin as she laughed. “I don’t have to do a thing, Gordie. You’re already in your own head enough for both of us.” She wiped at her eyes as they teared up from how hard she was laughing. “Nobody else has been nearly this worked up about battling me. This will be fun.” She didn’t wait for him to reply, turning to take her place, already reaching for her first pokeball. “Let’s do it, Apollo!”

“Barbaracle. Rock Tomb.”

“Deflect them with Power Whip. Then use Muddy Water.” Apollo was able to slam the massive boulders away with several powerful sweeps of his horns. It was why he hadn’t been able to learn Power Whip until he was fully evolved, because he needed those horns to develop. As soon as the last of the boulders fell away, he discharged a torrent of water toward the barnacle Pokémon.

“Razor Shell.”

“Protect and counter with Power Whip.”

Gordie’s expression twitched with her countering tactics. Especially when his Pokémon couldn’t stand up to the powerful Grass-attack. He reached for his second Pokémon. “Stonjourner. Stealth Rock.”

“Take it out with Muddy Water.” Celeste was confident in the power her Goodra could put behind his attacks and smirked when it was a one-hit KO. Apollo glanced back at her briefly and she gave him a reassuring nod.

“Shuckle. Stone Edge.”

“Protect, then combo Power Whip and Muddy Water.” Shuckle weren’t exactly common, and people commonly got confused on their typing because they were so rarely used in battle. But Celeste was confident in her strategy, which is why even though Shuckle would have some resistance to the Grass-type attack, due to its secondary Bug typing, it wouldn’t be able to handle a combination attack of Grass and Water against its main Rock typing. Sure enough, it quickly fell. She pulled out Apollo’s pokeball in preparation to Dynamax.

“Let’s go, Coalossal! Dynamax!”

“Let’s do the same, Apollo!”

“G-Max Volcalith!”

“Max Geyser!” Much to Celeste’s surprise, even with a dual type disadvantage, the Coalossal was still standing, barely. Meanwhile, Apollo was still standing strong.

“Again!”

“Again!” They both called out at the same time. Gordie’s Pokémon couldn’t take the second hit and fainted in an explosion of Dynamax energy. Apollo reverted to his regular size before Celeste returned him and moved to meet Gordie in the center of the pitch.

He let out a sigh as held out his hand. “You really are something else.”

She took his hand with a smile. “Thanks. And I’m sorry about all the psychological crap. I really was just having some fun.”

His eyes widened. “Seriously?”

She nodded. “Yup. I saw that everyone typically battled you first and then Melony. So, I wanted to switch it up and was already planning to battle her first when I got to the Gym.” She frowned. “And then I went through the Gym mission and fell so many damn times in her blizzard room that I wanted to trash her first. But then, when she asked, I really wanted a better excuse than ‘I just felt like it’ or ‘It’s payback’, so I made it up. I don’t know if there’s actually any truth to what I said or not.” She shrugged. “Maybe there is, but like I said at the beginning of our battle, I don’t need it.”

He facepalmed then with a groan. “If anyone got into my head, it was Raihan, back at the kickoff party, when he told all of us that you would destroy us.” He shook his head then. **“** Anyway. You’ve just got two badges left with about three and a half months to go in the season **.** I expect to be watching you in the semifinals.”

“Thanks, Gordie.” She shot him a grin. “Try not to overthink things, yeah?” With that she turned and headed for the locker room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, yeah. Celeste totally screwed with Gordie. There probably is a legitimate psychological component there, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯.
> 
> I basically figure that the challenge season is going to be right about 8 months long. Figure the average trainer that is just starting out is going to average about a month per Gym. Celeste takes that time, mostly because she spends it training her team, because she has the experience to know what it takes to raise a Champion level team. Newbie trainers like Hop are going to rush through the Gyms at first, and then at some point get their asses handed to them (*cough* Hop with Kabu *cough*). Then they're going to have to take a step back and rethink their shit and probably take the entire season to get through all the Gyms (if they can). You'll have other trainers that have maybe gotten part-way through the Gym challenge previously, that have a bit more experience that take a far shorter time to get to wherever they're going to get.


	40. The Best Kind of Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW  
> Not gonna lie, folks. This chapter is like 90% smut. I felt incredibly inspired when I wrote it. I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Also. YAY WE HIT OVER 5000 HITS!!!! AND WE HIT THE 200 KUDOS MARK!! I 💖💖💖 ALL OF YOU LOVELY FOLKS THAT KEEP ON READING AND ENJOYING THIS STORY!!!!!

It was early enough in the day when the taxi landed back in Hammerlocke, that she knew Raihan would still be at the Gym. She made a quick stop at the Pokémon Center before heading to the Gym. The staffer at the door simply nodded to her as she walked inside. Rai was in the middle of running his trainers through a series of drills. She didn’t want to interrupt, so she just leaned against the doorway that led to his locker room, arms crossed while she watched them train. The only male trainer he had on staff, Sebastian, as she’d learned his name quite some time ago, spotted her and waved. “Oi! Boss Lady’s here!” He quickly announced to the others. They looked up and spotted her before waving. She smiled as she waved back at them.

“Boss Lady?” Raihan asked in confusion before turning around to see Celeste watching them. A grin came to his face and he shot her a wink before refocusing his attention on his trainers. “Since when is Celeste known as Boss Lady?”

His three trainers looked between themselves for a moment before Camilla answered. “Um, Boss, she’s been Boss Lady since you guys made everything official in the press.”

He frowned. “But you guys have never called anyone else I’ve ever dated that.” At their looks, he held up his hands. “Not that I really care that you never did before. I’m simply curious, why now?”

Aria sighed, rolling her eyes before she spoke. “Because you’ve never been serious about anyone before, Boss. Even if it was low-key at first, you’ve been tied around Miss Celeste’s finger ever since she came by that first day. Seems pretty natural that we’d start calling her Boss Lady, don’t ya think?”

He scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks darkening. He hadn’t realized that his trainers had seen through him from the beginning. He cleared his throat. “All right, you guys have made your point. Now get out of here. We’re done for the day. I can’t take much more backtalk.” They all laughed at that and left the stadium. Once they turned to go, he turned back to Celeste and headed for her side, pulling her into a kiss before releasing her.

She laughed as he let her go. “I didn’t mean to disrupt training. I just got back and thought I would hang out while I waited for you to finish up today.”

He shrugged. “They were getting mouthy anyway.” A grin came to his lips as he lowered his voice. “How’s your ass?”

She raised a brow as a smirk came to her own lips. “Still hurts. I think you need to do something about it.”

His fangs flashed as a low growl sounded in his throat. “I do have a shower in my locker room. But there’s a chance we could be interrupted. It’s your choice.”

The flash of his fangs and the tone of his voice sent a shock of heat straight through her. She bit her lip before grabbing his hand and pulling him toward his locker room. As soon as he turned the lock and turned around, she pushed him against the door, stretching up on her toes to meet his lips hungrily. As she pulled away, she trailed kisses down his throat, grazing her teeth over the skin once or twice, drawing a groan from his lips. As she was reaching for his hoodie and uniform top, he chuckled, his voice husky. “I thought I was supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around?” He reached down to take the edge of his shirt from her, pulling it off as she pulled off her own top.

“Not my fault you’re a damned tease and literally the walking definition of sexy.” She pouted.

He spun her around, caging her against the door now. “You sure you aren’t talking about yourself?” He crashed his mouth against hers, their tongues battling for dominance before they broke for air. His hands were quick to reach for her bra as he trailed his tongue down her throat. As soon as her breasts were free, he swirled his tongue around one nipple and then the other. He wasted no time reaching for her pants, pulling them down with her panties in a single go. He kissed his way up the inside of her thigh, nipping the inside of one before standing to pull his own shorts off as she kicked her feet the rest of the way out of her pants. He pushed her back against the door again as he kissed her hungrily again, hands reaching to pull her ass toward him. He lifted her up then, and she was quick to wrap her legs around his waist, her arms latching around his neck. He slammed himself into her with a growled curse. “Fuck.”

She dug her heels into his ass to pull him closer, rolling her hips against him. “That’s the idea, babe.” She breathed the words against his ear, flicking her tongue against the lobe after she spoke, sending a shiver down his spine. He set a brutal pace. With each thrust she was shoved against the door harder. Their position was letting him sheathe himself in her fully, hitting her just right to quickly bring a moan to her lips. “Fuck!” He could feel her walls tightening around him as he was closing in on his own release. “Yes!” He kissed her neck before biting her. “RAIHAN!” Her orgasm crashed over her, drawing his own from him. He kept his mouth on her neck, applying enough pressure that it would leave a mark, but not enough to break the skin with his fangs. When he finally pulled away, he slowly lowered her to the ground, holding her steady for a minute before she nodded that she could stand. “That was…”

“Mind blowing?” He supplied, grinning. She nodded, bending over to pull off her socks.

As she stood, she shot him a smirk. “I think you promised me a shower though.”

“Hmm. Yeah, I suppose I did. I do still have to tend to that sexy ass of yours, don’t I?”

“Lead the way.” He took her hand and pulled her toward the shower. Her brow rose when she saw it. It had to be easily twice the size of either of the ones at home and it had one of those massive rain shower heads. “How is it that your Gym shower is so much nicer than the ones at home?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t make that much difference to me. You want one of these at home?”

She smiled. “Let’s see how I feel about this shower, and then I’ll let you know.”

He turned it on, checking the temperature after it had a minute to heat up. Satisfied, he stepped in, turning to face her. Her mouth turned dry at how sexy he looked with water trailing over the planes of his body. He smirked. “You gonna stand there staring all day? Or do you actually want to join me and do something about it?”

She stepped into the shower, running her hands up his chest before he bent down to kiss her. It wasn’t as needy as they had been during their previous round, but was still equally as passionate. When they finally parted, he reached behind her for the bottle of soap. She snorted when she saw the label. He was a man, after all, so of course he had the all in one combo that is supposed to be shampoo, conditioner, and body wash all in one. At her snort he shrugged. “It’s all I got. Take it or leave it.” She held out her hand and he squeezed a glob into her palm. Before he could do much more, she had her hands against his chest again, working to lather the soap as she traced the ridges of his torso. He started to wash his own hair while she ran her hands over him. She let a smile grace her lips when she managed to pull a short growl from him as she wrapped her arms around him, running the lather down his back and over his ass. She looked up at him, winking as she squeezed.

He tipped his head back to rinse his hair out before grabbing another handful of soap. “Turn around.” She complied and he let out a hiss as he saw the bruises that were forming on her ass. “Damn. You weren’t kidding.” He started with her head, gently massaging her scalp as he lathered her hair. Her eyes fell closed as she let out a hum of contentment. He draped the soapy strands over a shoulder as he worked his hands into her shoulders, working the tension out of them before running his hands down her arms and back up. She let out a low moan when he wrapped his arms around her, massaging her breasts, one in each hand. His thumbs circled her nipples, occasionally flicking over them before he finally tweaked them.

One of his hands stayed on her chest, switching between her breasts. His other slid down her belly before coming to rest between her legs. Her breathing was starting to pick up, and she lifted her arms up to wrap around his neck, her fingers digging into his hair, as he leaned over her. She let out another moan as his fingers went to work, knowing exactly just the type of pressure to apply to her clit before finally sliding his fingers into her. “Rai.” She groaned, tugging lightly on his hair to keep him going. He stopped for just a minute to let the water wash away most of the suds, drawing a growl of discontent from her lips. He smirked as the bubbles washed away before kissing her shoulder and then grazing her skin with his teeth as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her. Her walls were starting to tighten around his fingers when he pulled away.

She glared at him over her shoulder. He met her glare with a confident smile. “Hands on the wall. Bend over.” She complied and let out a whimper when he placed both of his hands on her ass, massaging the bruised cheeks. “I told you I would take care of you.” His voice was getting huskier as he continued. After she let out another whine, he took himself in hand, shuddering with the sensation, and teased her slit with the tip of his cock. He entered her slowly, dragging out the sensations for both of them as he filled her. He pulled back until just his tip was inside of her before snapping his hips forward, pulling a louder moan from both of their lips.

“Rai.” She let out a sharp breath at his next thrust. “I swear…Oh Arceus…” She trembled as he reached a hand around and started working her clit again. His pace started to pick up as her body quickly reacted to the additional stimulation. She let out another loud moan. “Please, baby….Ah!...I’m so…close!”

He reached his other hand around and grabbed her breast, massaging more roughly than he had before. As he pinched the nipple, he bit into her shoulder, and increased his tempo just a hair further with both his fingers against her clit, and his cock slamming into her. With something close to a scream, she finally came. He grunted against her shoulder as he continued to thrust through her orgasm, drawing it out before finally letting his own crash over him. As they both started to come down from their highs, he rested an arm against the wall, keeping his other wrapped around her to keep her steady on her shaking legs. His own weren’t too steady, but he really didn’t want to have her fall and have to explain to the doctor what had happened. Before too long, he pulled her back under the shower and turned the water up to get it warm again so they could rinse off before drying off just enough to stagger home before collapsing into bed. Before she could fall asleep, he asked. “So, what’s the verdict on the shower?”

She snorted. “We should probably just stick with the ones we’ve got. Otherwise we might never leave them.”

He tightened his hold on her as he let out a low chuckle before they fell asleep finally.


	41. Soothing The Spirit

She took a couple of days off to relax after her battles in Circhester. The day before she was going to start training again, she took a taxi over to Stow-on-Side. When she entered the Gym, she went straight to the reception desk. When the receptionist started to greet her and ask if she was ready to challenge, Celeste shook her head and interrupted her. “I’m not here to make an official challenge. I’ve already won through Circhester. I needed to ask Allister a favor, is he busy at the moment?”

“I’m sorry miss, but it’s the middle of the challenge season. The Gym Leaders don’t have time to…”

“I’m aware of the timing, but it doesn’t change the situation at all. I need to speak to him.” She put her hands on her hips, fighting her irritation. “Now, we can do this easily and you can let me speak to him briefly, or I can go through the back channels to get to talk to him. I’d rather not waste everyone else’s time.”

“What’s all the racket out here?” Celeste turned to find Bea poking her head out of the door to her locker room. Her eyes widened as she spotted Celeste. “Celeste? What are you doing here?”

“Bea! Thank Arceus. I need to ask Allister a favor.”

Bea let out a sigh. “Fine, come on. I’m getting tired of listening to you argue with my receptionist.” She held the door open and waved her over. As the door fell shut behind them and they headed for the locker room, she asked a question. “So, what’s this favor? I thought you’d be out training again, since you just destroyed Gordie and Melony.”

“Ah, well.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Last month I had to switch one of my Pokémon out for one of my non-region Pokémon for training purposes. The Pokémon I had to switch out is pouting something fierce. He’s one of the two I haven’t been wanting to use until the semifinals, so he hasn’t gotten to do much real battling in a while now. I was hoping to do a quick training battle with Allister. I figured that if he got to go all out in a one-on-one battle, that he would finally stop pouting.”

“Why don’t you just battle one of Raihan’s Pokémon? Why do you need Allister specifically?” Bea asked, frowning.

“Because I think a battle between two Gengar is going to be a much more even battle and really give him the chance to let loose.” She sighed then. “It was actually Raihan’s idea to see if Allister would be willing.” She hesitated then. “If you guys aren’t still too busy that is.”

Bea shook her head. “Nah. Most of the challengers that were going to beat us have gone through. We still have a few kids that are persistent, but they don’t really have much hope. So, we were probably going to start training for the finals soon anyway.” She knocked on one of the doors. “Allister, you’ve got a visitor.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Celeste.” She spoke up. “I wanted to ask a favor of you.”

“Come in.”

When she stepped into the room, she could feel the presence of his various Ghost Pokémon in the room. They had clearly made themselves invisible for the time being, but she knew she was being watched. When Allister turned to face her, she was surprised that he didn’t have his usual mask on. The kid was adorable. Now she understood why he wore it, so he wouldn’t be looked down on because of how cute he was. She let a soft smile grace her lips. “Thanks for seeing me.”

“You’re welcome. Um, you said you had a favor to ask?”

She nodded. “Yep. I was hoping you’d have a training battle with me.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. See, my Gengar has been pouting. He hasn’t gotten to really let loose yet during the Gym Challenge and won’t get to until we hit the semifinals. I was hoping you’d battle us with your Gengar.”

She could see him considering it, so she waited patiently for his decision. “Um. Okay. Did you want to battle now?”

“If you have time now, that would be great. I don’t know that he’ll be too cooperative for us to resume normal training until he gets this out of his system.” At that, Loki’s pokeball wiggled on her hip.

He led her down to the pitch before asking. “Did you just want to battle one-on-one?”

“Yeah. I think that will be all we need. And we can just stick with regular battling. No Dynamax.”

“Okay.” He moved to his position. “Go. Gengar.” His Gengar appeared with a menacing scowl.

“Let’s go, Loki.” He appeared in a flash and eagerly started bouncing around, taunting the other Gengar. “Dark Pulse.”

“Dark Pulse as well.”

The two attacks met, cancelling each other out. Both Pokémon held the attack longer than they typically would, each trying to get the upper hand. As they both finally dropped the attack, Celeste was calling out again. “Shadow Ball.”

“Counter it.” Again, the attacks neutralized each other. “Sludge Bomb.”

Loki was moving before Celeste could call out to counter. She could see that he was getting energized at the promise of an extended battle with an opponent nearly equal to him. As their Sludge Bomb’s cancelled each other out again, Celeste stepped things up. “Thunderbolt.”

“Dodge and use Hypnosis.”

“Avoid it and use Dark Pulse.”

“Counter.”

They kept calling moves and counter moves rapidly, falling into the flow of their high paced battle. As powerful as both Pokémon were, Loki was stronger, and his experience showed. It was only a matter of time before Allister’s Gengar began to show signs of fatigue, and countered a hair too slow, catching one of Loki’s Shadow Ball’s. Celeste was quick to capitalize. “Now! Thunderbolt followed by Dark Pulse!” Allister’s Gengar was slow to recover from the initial hit, and took the full brunt of the combination attack, finally bringing the battle to a close. Loki was quick to bounce to Celeste’s side, his pouting finally over. She kept him out as she walked over to Allister and held out her hand. “Thanks for the battle.”

He slowly took her hand and shook it. “You’re welcome. Your Gengar is….really strong.”

Loki bounced over to Allister and floated around him for a moment before he floated through him, causing Allister to laugh. Celeste chided him gently. “How many times have I told you not to do that? Honestly.” She shook her head and recalled him. “Sorry about that.”

“I don’t mind. Not really.”

“Anyway. Your Gengar is pretty strong too.”

“You think so?”

She nodded. “For sure. Loki is one of my strongest Pokémon. Not many can keep up with him for as long as your Gengar did. It’ll really be great if we meet in the finals.” She turned to start to leave. “Thanks again!” She waved over her shoulder before walking off the pitch. Once outside, she stopped at the Pokémon center to have Loki tended to. Even though he didn’t really take any damage, it was certainly a long battle. Once he was given a clean bill of health, she called a taxi to head home to Hammerlocke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our best Ghost Boi finally gets his own chapter. He was so sad when he got sidelined, even if it was only for a couple weeks during training. But now he's gotten his tantrum out of his system.


	42. A Bad Omen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! I'm feeling extra generous today since it's Mother's Day, which means that you're getting an extra chapter today. Enjoy!

Now that she had Loki all sorted and back to normal, she made for her spot at the Lake of Outrage to start their next month of training. “Apollo.” She pulled out a TM for him. “I think it’s time we stopped using Protect. You’re plenty strong enough to handle a few hits. I want you work on learning Earthquake for now.” She handed the TM over to Rotom and sent it and Apollo off to get to work. “Juno. You did great with Overheat and Focus Blast, but I think they both could still use a little bit of work. We’ll probably be using Focus Blast quite a bit against Piers. If we get both of them perfected, then we’ll finish up working on Bounce. Anubis, go work with her.” As the pair moved off to get started, she looked at her last three Pokémon sitting in front of her. The only one that she had left to fully evolve now was Morpheus. “Alright you three. I want you going all out. I think we can get you ready to evolve right before we battle Piers, Morpheus. Aura, Loki, push him hard.” About a week later, they were in the middle of training when the ground around them shook. Apollo let out a cry after the shaking stopped. Celeste turned toward him, grinning. “That’s the way, bud! Keep it up!”

She was just over halfway through her month of training when she received a message from Olympia. She frowned as she opened the text, as there was only a single word on the screen.

_Danger._

A shiver ran across her spine before she dialed the Psychic’s number. She didn’t give her a chance to greet her when she picked up the phone. “Olympia. What do you mean, danger? What did you see?”

The Psychic let out a small sigh. “I don’t know anything more than that. I saw you, and I saw pain. I did not see when or where. Nor did I see the cause. I am not even sure if the pain is yours, or someone close to you.”

Celeste frowned as she held her phone. “You normally have more detailed visions than that.”

“I know.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I can only presume that whoever or whatever is the source of danger to you, has not actually planned anything specific. I wish I knew more. I do not want to see you hurt.”

Celeste was quiet for a long moment. “Will I be alright?”

Olympia’s response was solemn. “I do not know.”

“I see.” She swallowed her fear back. “Please tell me if you see anything else.”

“Of course, I will. Be cautious.” Without waiting for Celeste to reply, she ended the call.

She stood there, frowning at her phone for quite a while before she finally put it away. She looked around at her team, frown still lining her face as Olympia’s words still echoed in her head. It scared her that the Psychic Gym Leader knew so little about one of her own visions, since they had always been so thorough in the past. Unable to properly focus, she recalled her team and went home. She was quiet all night and had plastered herself to Raihan’s side. He didn’t know what was bothering her, but he got the feeling it was something he was better off not asking about. Instead, he simply held her tighter, offering her all the comfort she was seeking. When she disappeared as normal the next morning, he sent out his Noivern to check on her. When the dragon finally returned in the middle of the day, it seemed as though she was fine, training as normal.

They were nearing the last week of their training for the month when Morpheus finally evolved. He nearly doubled in size again. Since they had so little time left before challenging Piers, Celeste decided to not worry about having him learn any new moves. Instead she made sure he was used to his new size as they continued their training through the final week. Juno had gotten a much more solid hold on both Overheat and Focus Blast and was finally improving Bounce. Apollo was getting Earthquake down and would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

Hop called her in the middle of the week. He’d finally beaten both Gordie and Melony and was ready for the battle she’d promised him. She smiled as she accepted, as he seemed to be back to his normal self finally. She had him meet her just outside of Hammerlocke in the Wild Area. When he arrived, she gave him a serious look. “Alright bro. This is it. I know I said I’d battle you anytime, but I think that this needs to be the last time I battle you before the semifinals.”

His eyes widened. “But, why?”

“Because you know my team at this point. It won’t be changing. I don’t want you doubting yourself anymore between now and the semifinals. I just want you to focus on getting as strong as you can and making sure you get through the last two Gyms. I know you can do it.” She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. “I will tell you this now, though. When the semifinals come around, I’ll be using Anubis and Loki finally. We won’t be holding back, so be prepared. Now, are you ready for this battle?” She reached for her first pokeball while she waited for him to ready himself. Finally, he nodded, reaching for his own pokeball.

“Go, Juno.”

“Let’s go, Dubwool. Double Kick.”

“Dodge it and use Focus Blast.” Her eyes narrowed in surprise when his Dubwool managed to hold on through the first attack.

“Take Down!”

“Reckless. Use Focus Blast one more time.” The attack hit Juno square on, but she managed to brush off most of the damage. She saw Dubwool flinch as it recoiled from the attack before he was knocked out with Juno’s attack.

“Damn. Corviknight! Use Fury Attack!”

“Don’t let it get close. Overheat.” Juno landed the hit at nearly point-blank range. Corviknight’s Steel typing dropped it quickly. Hop was quick to reach for his next Pokémon

“Pincurchin! Use Bubble Beam!”

“Dodge it.” The Electric-type managed to land a glancing blow against Juno.

“Return. Apollo, Earthquake.” The ground shook hard, staggering all of them as fissures developed around them. Hop’s Pincurchin had no chance as it quickly fell.

He was gritting his teeth when he picked up his next pokeball. “Snorlax! Body Slam!”

“You can take it Apollo! Then use Power Whip and Earthquake!” Even though Apollo was probably one of her slowest Pokémon, he was still faster than Hop’s Snorlax could ever be. But Apollo made up for his slow speed by being a tank. He could take a hit, and he could dish out just as much damage. The combination of moves clearly affected the Snorlax, but it was still standing.

“Hit it with Heavy Slam!”

“Counter it with Power Whip!” She knew how much power he could put behind the attack, after he had been able to deflect all of the different boulders Gordie had tried to launch at him during their battle. She hoped that he’d be able to do the same now. She grimaced when Apollo managed to deflect Snorlax a bit, but still took a significant hit. “Finish it with Dragon Pluse!”

Hop’s Snorlax finally fell. Apollo was breathing hard, so she returned him as well. “Juno, let’s finish this.” She sent her starter back out, anticipating that Hop only had his Rillaboom left.

“Rillaboom! Brick Break!”

“Dodge it and use Pyro Ball!” He managed to land a glancing blow before staggering back with the force of the fireball that Juno launched at him. Celeste did have to give Hop some credit, since his Pokémon did seem to be taking hits a bit better than he had been the last few times they had battled. “Finish it with Overheat!”

“Brick Break again!” Juno hesitated, letting Rillaboom draw in closer to prevent him from dodging her next attack. It was something that they had trained on frequently, drawing the opponent in before landing a devastating attack. She still took some of the attack against her, but remained standing as the Grass-type fainted.

They both recalled their Pokémon. Hop gave her a grin. “I actually managed to do some decent damage today.”

She nodded. “Yeah.” Her turned serious again. “Listen, Hop. I meant what I said. You are capable of being a top competitor in the semifinals. I want to see you in the final battle of the semifinals, okay? I want you to give me one hell of a battle.”

He looked at her, eyes widened slightly. “Not many challengers would say that, sis.”

She shrugged. “I know. But I’m not most challengers, am I?” She clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll see you in the semifinals, Hop.” She headed for the Pokémon Center before heading home for to take a couple days off before challenging Piers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo. Yeah. O_O O_O O_O There's some shit coming. That's for sure.
> 
> On the bright side, Celeste's team is finally fully evolved!  
> Team Update:  
> Anubis (Lucario) knows Close Combat, Meteor Mash, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse  
> Loki (Gengar) knows Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt  
> Juno (Cinderace) knows Pyro Ball, Overheat, Focus Blast, Bounce  
> Aura (Hatterene) knows Dazzling Gleam, Magical Leaf, Hyper Beam, Psychic  
> Morpheus (Dragapult) knows Phantom Force, Dragon Rush, Steel Wing  
> Apollo (Goodra) knows Muddy Water, Dragon Pulse, Power Whip, Earthquake
> 
> And also, our (almost) last battle with Hop. Poor kid just can't catch a break. He's definitely getting stronger, but can he get strong enough to make it all the way?


	43. A Dark Surprise

Celeste had been making a point to make sure she traversed all of the region as she did her challenge. The only exception to that rule was going to be Route 9. Almost seventy-five percent of the route was water, and it was definitely a no-go for Celeste to do any surfing on the route, not unless she wanted to end up hating her life. Her motion sickness was just too bad for it. So instead, she took Route 7 from Hammerlocke, continuing east when it split. There was a tunnel carved out through the mountains that separated Hammerlocke from Spikemuth. On the other side, she ran into a couple trainers that were hanging out around the outskirts of the town. They quickly fell to her team as she made her way to the town’s entrance. She frowned when she approached and saw a handful of challengers around the currently closed entrance. “What’s going on?” She asked one of the other challengers.

“Nobody’s really sure. The gate into the town is closed, obviously, but we don’t know why. Several others have tried banging on the gate and yelling to try to get them to open up. At this rate, nobody’s going to be able to make their challenge.”

Celeste frowned. “I know people have been able to challenge, because there are people that have already started to challenge Raihan. Not many, but still, that means they have to have battled Piers.” She tilted her head as she asked another question. “Has anyone tried lifting the gate?”

A couple of the other challenger’s heard this and looked at her like she was crazy. “And how are we supposed to do that? There’s no way a person could lift it without a mechanism, and it’s obviously inside.”

She rolled her eyes at the tone that the other challenger used. “I didn’t mean to lift it myself. Obviously.” She grabbed one of her pokeballs. “Aura.” Her Hatterene let out a cry as she appeared. “Could you be a dear and use Psychic to open the gate please?” Celeste glanced around her as Aura easily lifted the gate. Several of the other challengers had dumbfounded looks on their faces. She sighed, unsure how some of them had gotten to that point if they didn’t at least have enough problem-solving skills for something like this. Once the gate was open, she returned Aura. “Thank you, dear. Return.” Without sparing another look for the other challengers, she strode into the town.

She didn’t make it far before her path was blocked. It was one of those annoying fans she had seen off and on throughout her challenge. They were like the personal cheer squad for one of the other challengers. She wasn’t sure, but she thought they called themselves Team Yell or something ridiculous like that. Her brow ticked when he sent out a Galarian Linoone to battle her. She sent out Juno and crushed him with a Focus Blast. As he retreated, she thought she heard him mutter something about the gate. She frowned, realizing that it meant that they were likely behind the gate to town being closed off.

Her path was blocked by another one of the Team Yell grunts before she went much farther. This one sent out a Thievul that also quickly fell to a Focus Blast attack from Juno. She was getting progressively more irritated as she continued, because the kids that made up Team Yell just seemed to keep popping up out of nowhere. The next one that got in her way had a Scrafty that Aura wiped out with a Dazzling Gleam. Another one had a Weavile. She called Juno back out for that one, resorting back to Focus Blast once more.

She was hearing music from up ahead, but before she reached its source, she was blocked by one last grunt. This one at least seemed to have at least a semblance of knowledge, as he tried to throw her off with a Drapion first. Its dual typing meant that none of Juno’s attacks would be nearly as effective. She called out Apollo first and had him use Earthquake to wipe out the dual Poison and Dark type before switching out for Juno when he called out a Liepard. With the way finally clear, she made for the source of the music. She found Piers up on the stage in the middle of a performance. She stood there at the back of the square, arms crossed while she waited. It wasn’t really her type of music, but she could admit that he had a pretty decent voice.

When the song ended, he called out to her. “I didn’t think there were any challengers coming through still. Since it’s been a while since anyone’s come through.” The crowd parted as he jumped from the stage to approach her.

She uncrossed her arms and put a hand on her hip. “I’m sure the gate to town being closed had a lot to do with it.” She nodded her head over her shoulder toward the direction she had just come from. “Those Team Yell goons closed it, by the way things sounded as I battled through them.”

Piers sighed as he held his head in his hand. “Of course, they did. My lil’ sis is challenging this year, and they probably thought they were helping her out by making things difficult for other challengers. I’ll have to sort ‘em out after we battle.” He turned to the crowd that was still gathered. “Oi, you lot! Clear off the field.” As the crowd moved off, Celeste realized that they were standing on a battlefield. She cocked a brow. He caught her look and shrugged. “Spikemuth’s pretty poor, so we don’t have a Power Spot. So, this will just be a regular old Gym Battle. No Dynamaxing.”

She nodded. “It’s fine with me either way.”

She reached for her first pokeball. Since Spikemuth’s field was so small, the matches there were rarely, if ever, televised. That meant that Celeste really hadn’t seen much of anything that would be beneficial in planning to battle Piers. Still, she trusted her team, and their ability to handle anything that he could throw their way.

As he reached for his own pokeball, a smirk finally lit up his face. “It’s time to rock! Go Scrafty!”

Celeste gritted her teeth as she called out the Pokémon she had in her hand. “Juno.” It wasn’t an ideal start to the match, but she wasn’t at a complete disadvantage either.

“Let’s get this party started. Fake out followed by Sand Attack!”

“Dodge it with Bounce!” Juno flinched as she fell for the Fake Out and was too slow recovering to avoid the Sand Attack. She shook her head as the sand flew into her eyes, obscuring her vision.

“Brick Break!”

“Juno! Hurry and use Bounce now!” She leapt high into the air, barely dodging Scrafty’s attack, but the sand in her eyes caused her to misjudge her landing, and she missed what would have been a massive hit against the dual Fighting and Dark type. Celeste tsked as she held up her pokeball, changing strategy. “Return.” She reached for her next pokeball. “Aura! Dazzling Gleam!”

“Take it and use Payback!” Even with the doubly effective attack, Scrafty managed to hang on, landing a powerful counterattack. Celeste was thankful for Aura’s dual typing and the amount of time she had spent training her Pokémon against moves that were effective against them. Aura held on, though she staggered with the hit.

“Finish it with another Dazzling Gleam.”

Piers recalled his first Pokémon finally, satisfied with the amount of damage he had managed against her team. “Skuntank. Toxic.”

“Dodge it!” She was already reaching for Aura’s pokeball. Her Hatterene dodged the first tendril that shot at her but was hit by the second. She cried out as the poison took effect. “Return.” Celeste grimaced. Piers had really managed to surprise her. She hadn’t expected him to be so aggressive in his tactics.

At her hesitation, Piers taunted her. “Oi, ya givin’ up mate?”

She reached for her next Pokémon as she growled at him. “Not a chance. Go Apollo! Let’s rock his world with Earthquake!”

“Sucker Punch!” The attack slammed into Apollo, but it meant that it was right next to him still when the ground erupted around them, staggering the skunk Pokémon.

“Before it can recover! Dragon Pulse!” The purple energy slammed into the Skuntank, finally knocking it out.

“Malamar. Foul Play.”

“Use Muddy Water followed by Power Whip.” Celeste grimaced as Malamar landed its attack. She was a fan of using Foul Play when she battled with Scylla, as the attack based its power off of the opponents attack strength, but having it turned against her own tank was devastating. Apollo managed to hold on, but as he started his own attacks, Piers called out the move that would finish him off.

“Dodge the second attack and hit it with Foul Play again.” And with that, Apollo was down. Her mind raced to come up with a strategy as she recalled him. Piers was only on his third Pokémon. And with those three Pokémon, he had now taken out one of her own, poisoned a second, and thoroughly embarrassed the third. Since none of her Pokémon currently knew any Bug-type moves, her only hope was going to be that Aura could withstand her poisoning long enough to take out Malamar with a couple of hits.

“Let’s go Aura. Dazzling Gleam.”

“Payback” Malamar staggered under the power of the Fairy-type attack and countered with equal power behind its own attack.

Aura faltered as her poisoning drained even more of her strength. Their next attack had to be all or nothing. “Finish it with Hyper Beam!” The blinding light managed to take down Piers’s Malamar, but as soon as it fainted, Aura was right behind it, her own strength finally giving out. “You did a great job, dear. We’ll get you all taken care of soon.” She returned her, reaching for Juno’s pokeball once again. “Alright, Juno, let’s finish things.” Celeste glanced at the rabbit Pokémon. It seemed like she had finally been able to clear the sand from her eyes. There was a fire in her look that wasn’t normally there.

“Obstagoon.”

“Focus Blast!”

“Obstruct, then use Throat Chop.”

“Dodge it and use Pyro Ball.” She recognized his tactic, draw the opponent in close and hit them point blank before they can pull away. Fortunately, Juno was faster than his Obstagoon, forcing him to miss before a ball of fire forced him back.

“Shadow Claw.”

“Overheat!” Celeste was quick to turn his own tactics against him and as he cursed, she finally let a smirk come to her lips. It had only taken almost the entire battle, but she was finally back in control.

“Focus Blast.”

“Obstruct followed by Shadow Claw.”

“Watch out for the counterattack and use Focus Blast before he can recover.”

“Obstruct!” But Juno was too fast, and Obstagoon couldn’t block the attack in time. Finally, his final Pokémon fell, and not a moment too soon, as Juno was starting to wear down with fatigue. They returned their Pokémon and met in the center of the field. Instead of a handshake, Piers offered her a fist bump, which she returned with a smile. He smirked at her. “That was one rockin’ battle, mate. S’pose I shouldn’t be surprised, coming from Raihan’s Old Lady.” As she cocked her head to the side, he snorted. “What? Ya think just because I don’t show up to shit means that I don’t know all about what’s happening in the region?”

She flushed in embarrassment. “Well, a bit, actually. Sorry.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I really underestimated you, ya know? You’re way more aggressive when you battle than the vibe you put out.”

“Eh, no worries, mate.” He shrugged it off. He was used to being underestimated. Most of the time it worked out in his favor anyway.

As he passed her a Dark badge, a grin came to her lips. “Anytime you want to battle, let me know. I could use a training partner like you from time to time.”

His brows rose, surprised by the offer. It wasn’t something that most challengers would offer or ask of a Gym Leader. He snorted as his surprise wore off. “You’re a bit of a nutter, ain’t ya, mate? But I like ya. You’re hardcore, so alright.” He held up his fist again, and she smiled as she bumped it with her own. “I’ll be watching when ya take Raihan down a peg or two.”

She chuckled as she turned to leave. “See you round, Piers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, Piers surprised the shit out of Celeste. She certainly thought she didn't have to worry about Piers at all, and bam, see what that gets you? And no, I don't have Marnie in the story currently. I know she is tagged, and she will get some action in the Semifinals, but I didn't feel like including her small amount of involvement in the story up to this point. Which is why the entrance into Spikemuth is so different than in the game.
> 
> Oh, and one thing that I thought of. I don't know if this is actually a thing or not. At the beginning of the battle with Piers, and probably a few others, Celeste calls out a Pokemon at the start of the match even if it isn't a great matchup. I feel like there would be some rule about not being able to switch out pokeballs at the beginning of the match once you've already got one in your hand. It would be totally unfair, and it would probably lead to issues in getting matches started, because everyone would try to one-up everyone else by waiting for their opponent to call out their pokemon first. Maybe there's a rule that they have to pick their first pokemon and have the pokeball in their hand before the match starts even? Hmmm. Things to consider.
> 
> Initially this was going to be two chapters, but I just didn't like how my chapter break came out. So, instead you get a super long chapter today. That means we are that much closer to what has been dubbed "The Wreckening". It won't officially be titled that when we get to the chapter. At least, I don't think it will be. I believe we have one more chapter before the crazy begins. Hold onto your pants, friends. IT'S COMING.


	44. Fear of Repeating the Past

She made a quick stop at the Pokémon Center to heal up her team. Since she still had all afternoon to wait for Raihan to finish up at the Gym, she decided to walk back to Hammerlocke. She was about halfway through the tunnel that connected Spikemuth to Route 7 when she heard and felt the explosion rattle the tunnel around her. She saw a red glow briefly at the end of the tunnel and took off running. It was just like what had happened that one night with the power plant. Celeste skidded to a stop when she exited the tunnel, her eyes widening. A Perrserker had Dynamaxed and was on a rampage. She reached for a pokeball. “Anubis!” He took in the giant Pokémon before them and snarled. “Aura Sphere and then Close Combat.” He nodded, gathering the energy in his palms before releasing the attack. As soon as it hit, staggering the giant Steel-type, he was racing toward it, pummeling it relentlessly. He flipped back as the Perrserker fainted in an explosion of Dynamax energy.

Celeste approached the downed Pokémon cautiously before pulling a Max Revive out of her bag. She used it and watched as the Perrserker slowly recovered. As it blinked its eyes open, it let out a hiss and she held up her hands. “It’s okay now. I’m sorry we had to battle you, but you were out of control, do you remember?” The feline tilted its head as it thought, but then shook its head. She let out a sigh and dug for a sitrus berry. She held it out to the feline. “Either way, here, take this and go on now.” She set it on the ground in front of the Perrserker before standing and walking away.

When she got to Hammerlocke, she headed straight for the Gym. Raihan was in the middle of a battle, so she waited in his locker room, frowning as she stared at her hands in her lap, deep in thought. She only looked up when Raihan placed a hand on hers. He was squatted in front of her and was looking at her with mild concern in his eyes. “Hey. How long have you been here for?”

He frowned. “A few minutes. I called your name a couple times, but you didn’t answer. What’s wrong?”

“A wild Perrserker Dynamaxed in the middle of Route 7 today.”

His eyes shot wide open. “What?”

“I was on my way back from Spikemuth when it happened. There was an explosion and a red glow, just like what happened that night with the power plant. I was still in the tunnel, so I didn’t see everything that happened. But when I got to Route 7, the Perrserker was already Dynamaxed and rampaging. Anubis and I were able to stop it without any problem.”

He interrupted her. “But that’s not really the point. There aren’t any power spots on any of the Routes between towns, except for some of the dens in the Wild Area. So, it shouldn’t have been possible.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

He growled. “Damn it. What the hell is the chairman up to?”

She sighed. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, we’ll be ready for it.”

He had taken his final challenger for the day, so they headed for home after that, Raihan prodding her for the details of her match with Piers. He knew there wouldn’t be any footage for them to watch that night, and he wanted to know how it went. Once they were home, she went through the battle. He gave her a hard time about how much Piers had surprised her. Laughing about how she had underestimated him. When she started poking him in the ribs, he retaliated by tickling her. They spent so long fooling around that they ended up having to order in.

While they were waiting for the pizza to arrive, Celeste turned serious. “I probably am going to be around even less than normal this next month.”

His face fell. “I kinda figured as much. You that worried about beating me?”

She snorted. “Well I’m sure not stupid enough to underestimate you.” She frowned a bit then. “Hey, Rai?” He just tilted his head, waiting for her to continue. “You know I love you, right? And that it isn’t dependent on the outcome of our battle?”

His eyes widened at the uncertainty he was hearing in her voice. “Of course, I know that.” He reached his hand out and lifted her chin to look at him. “Where is this coming from all of the sudden?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Up till now, it’s always been about battling everyone else. And now it’s coming down to our battle, and I can’t help but think about how everything changed with Calem with my winning, and I don’t….I don’t want that to happen again.”

He let out a small sigh and pulled her into his arms. “Princess, listen to me. I love you. Nothing is going to change that. I promise.” He continued to hold her until the pizza finally came, and then made sure to hold her extra close when they finally went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't like how, in the game, Leon just happened to be there, right when he was needed. Something's fishy there, Game Freak. *squints suspiciously* ಠ_ಠ
> 
> So, little bit of self doubt creeping into Celeste, now that she's finally getting ready to battle Raihan. But we all know that our Dragon Boy is not going to let a battle ruin what they've got. *cough cough* (He might actually be a bit turned on at the prospect of her beating him.) ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	45. An Omen Comes to Pass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been torturing AdeenBanner with hints and teases of this and the next several chapters for like two weeks now. My own impatience to finally get to this chapter is also factoring in, and why you get yet another two chapter posting day.
> 
> OKAY PEOPLE, THIS IS IT!!! THE BEGINNING OF WHAT HAS BEEN DUBBED: THE WRECKENING.  
> I FINALLY GOT HERE!!! As I’ve mentioned/alluded to before, I’m not a linear writer. When I started writing this fic, I wrote chapters 1-6. Then I skipped all the middle and wrote all of the angst and drama from this chapter through chapter 50. Then I picked back up from chapter 7, and continued on for a bit, before I circled back to write the Epilogue. And now I’m still filling in some of the later parts of the story between now and the Epilogue. As the story has evolved, I have done some editing here and there to get these next few chapters to what they are currently. I couldn’t believe when I had almost 36k words on my computer when I started. Then I couldn’t believe when I hit the 50k mark. Now I have just over 76k words and counting currently saved on my computer. Thank you to all who have stuck with me for this long! I hope you are still enjoying it, and I hope you continue to enjoy it until the end!

After her brief bout of insecurity, she set out for the Wild Area to train. She set out for the Dusty Bowl, since the area frequently had sandstorms. It would be good training for all of her team to get used to the blowing sand, since Raihan was notorious for using sandstorms. She called out her team and quickly singled out Morpheus. “Okay, Morpheus.” He chirped in response. “All we have to do to round out your moves is to teach you Fly.” She dug out the TM and handed it to Rotom. He floated off to start working on the move.

She turned to the rest of her team. “Alright. We’ve got a month to get ready for Rai. We need to get as strong as we can. That means we’re gonna push hard this month. I want you guys getting a lot of work in against moves you’re weak against, to build resistance. Aura, you especially need to work on withstanding some Steel-type moves, so spend some time with Anubis. We’ll worry about Poison resistance after we beat Rai. The rest of you rotate training with each other. There’s a few power spots nearby that I think we can take advantage of as well while we’re out here. Let’s get to it.”

She took a much more active role in training as her team split apart to get to work. She would call out corrections and recommend changing the way they responded to a certain type of attack. She pushed her team to rise to that final level that would turn them into a Champion caliber team. Morpheus picked up Fly within the first few days and was quick to rejoin the group. She spent most of the week camped out in the Wild Area, only returning home for a day at the end of the week to shower, tend to her team, and restock on supplies. She continued this pattern for the entire month, barely sharing anything about her progress with Raihan on the few days that she saw him. It was wearing on both of them by the time they reached the end of the month. They agreed that on her last day of training, she would end early enough that he could take her out to dinner as soon as he was done with challengers for the day. They also agreed that they wouldn’t talk about anything related to her training, or his battles during the couple of days that she would take off before challenging him.

The month sped by, and before she knew it, she was finishing up her last day of training in the Wild Area before heading into Hammerlocke to meet Raihan for dinner. She had just started up the steps into town when her phone went off in quick succession with multiple texts. She glanced at her phone as she walked. They were from Olympia. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat when she saw what was written.

_DANGER!_

_HE’S THERE!_

_RUN NOW!_

As she crested the steps, she looked up from the screen and froze. Her voice came out as a whisper. “Calem.” He looked terrible. His hair was a mess. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled. There were bags under his eyes. His Absol stepped out from behind him. She gasped as she took in the Dark type’s appearance. Its fur was ragged, and there were scars visible along the Pokémon’s body. The look in Absol’s eyes was distant, almost crazed. Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Calem, Olympia’s warning sending chills down her spine. She had never truly been afraid of Calem until that moment. Catching herself, she finally spoke, hesitation in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Winning. Night Slash.”

Her eyes widened when she heard the command. She barely had time to react and throw her arms up in front of her before she let out a scream in pain as the attack dug into her arms. Before he called another attack, her Pokémon were exploding out of their balls at her hip to come to her aid. “Anubis! You take Absol! Juno! Go get Rai! Aura, Morpheus, Apollo! Keep the people clear of the area! Loki! With me for backup.” Her Pokémon leapt into action. Anubis growled in outrage at what had been done to her. Without even needing the command, bright light surround him and he mega-evolved, launching into an attack on Absol. After that, all hell broke loose. Calem sent out all of his Pokémon at once. They all had the similar look that Absol did, ragged and crazed. Anubis and Loki looked at each other and nodded. Calem started calling out commands rapid fire, all of his Pokémon trying to attack her directly.

Anubis and Loki were doing their best to intercept those attacks and to trying to knock out Calem’s team. Neither of her Pokémon were fast enough to intercept his Greninja, though. Celeste couldn’t dodge fast enough, and as another Night Slash attack ripped into her side across her stomach, she screamed. Loki let loose a Thunderbolt, but Greninja had gotten so fast that he missed, leaving a scorch mark in the ground right in front of Celeste. She clutched her stomach, tears freely running down her cheeks as she looked at the man she had once loved. A man she no longer knew. Loki moved in front of her, countering his Flareon’s Fire Blast with Dark Pulse. As strong as they both were, Anubis and Loki were already struggling to keep up against all six of Calem’s team.

She staggered back a step, to try to give Loki more room to work, but as she did, a blur moved to her left side. She was just barely turning her head toward it when pain blazed across her back, dropping her to her knees. Greninja had gotten passed them again. Her vision started to blur, shock and pain finally overwhelming her consciousness as she collapsed on her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaannnnd....Cliffhanger!
> 
> So, I apparently have this thing where I have to hurt my characters. Any fic that I have in my computer, shared or otherwise, at least one of my characters ends up hurt at some point. So, I of course couldn't get through this one without anyone getting hurt. I initially was much kinder when I wrote this chapter, but then AdeenBanner inspired me to really wreck everyone's world. Sorry. We are in for one hell of a ride over the next few chapters.


	46. Ashes, Ashes. All Fall Down

Before the chaos outside started to unfold, Raihan was just getting ready to take on his final challenger of the day. He was antsy to be done, because he couldn’t wait to see Celeste. He’d seen even less of her over the last month than was normal, between the challengers that were finally coming in earnest, and her own training. She’d told him that she was bringing her training to a close that day, so he was even more excited than normal to see her. The match started, just like normal. They were about halfway through when Juno came racing into the stadium, stadium personnel hot on her heels.

“Juno?” He frowned. “What are you doing? Where’s Celeste?” A chill crept up his spine. Something was wrong. That thought was confirmed when the stadium personnel came up to him.

“Leader Raihan! We couldn’t stop this Pokémon from entering the stadium. There were people that came running in behind it that said there was a woman being attacked directly by Pokémon!”

His heart dropped to his stomach. “Celeste.” He choked out a hoarse whisper. Without sparing a glance for his challenger, he recalled his team. “Juno! Take me to her!” He yelled as he placed his last pokeball on his belt. The Fire-type led him to the entrance of town where he was met with a crowd of people. He quickly recognized three of her other Pokémon working to keep the people away from the area. “LET ME THROUGH!” He bellowed. When people realized it was him, they hurried to get out of the way. Juno had raced ahead and jumped into the chaos that was happening in his city. Anubis, Loki, and now Juno were going all out against a full team of six. Well, one of the opposing Pokémon had fainted already, but it could hardly be called a real battle. He could see that Anubis and Loki were already at their limits, but they were still pushing hard to protect their trainer. He quickly called out all of his Pokémon. “Help Celeste’s team!” That was his only command as he scanned the battlefield and finally found her. She was on the ground, surrounded by blood. As he dropped to his knees at her side, he took in the gashes on her arms, side, and back and let out a curse, ripping his hoodie off to press it against her side. She cried out at the pressure.

He pulled her into his lap gently. “Sorry, Princess, but I gotta try to stop this bleeding.”

She blinked up at him, eyes hazy. “Rai.” Her voice was weak, pained. “He’s totally lost it.”

“Who is that?” He growled.

“Calem.” Her response sent his anger into overdrive. A haze of red came over his vision as he looked up at the man that his and Celeste’s Pokémon were still battling.

Calem looked up at him holding her and let out a pained scream. “Get your hands off of her! She’s mine!” In response to his scream, his Greninja set its sights on them. It set off in a blur of motion, easily dodging their teams. Raihan’s eyes widened as he realized it was coming for them. He pulled Celeste close and hunched over her, protecting her as much as he could. He grunted as the attack ripped into his back. With just the one attack, he started shaking from the burning pain. He couldn’t imagine how Celeste had managed to take so many hits. By then, his Gym Trainers and some of the staffers had arrived, freeing the rest of Celeste’s team to jump into the fray as well. Thoroughly outnumbered, Calem’s team finally fell. With the threat finally gone, he saw Anubis and Loki finally faint from how far past their limits they had been pushed.

Calem was on his knees now, slumped in defeat. “Noivern! Flygon!” Raihan yelled, calling his two flying Pokémon over. “Help me get her to the hospital.” He looked at the rest of their combined Pokémon and growled. “The rest of you keep him right there. I’ll call Leon on our way to the hospital.” With that, he tied his hoodie around Celeste better, then handed her gently to Flygon. “Careful now.” He quickly ran and jumped on Noivern. “Let’s go. Hurry.” As they took off, he pulled out his phone and dialed Leon. “C’mon. Answer.” He uttered, impatient.

“Hey Raihan…”

“Shut up and listen to me.” He snapped. “You need to get to the main entrance to Hammerlocke. Now. Celeste’s ex is there. He attacked her. I’m on my way to the hospital with her now. It’s bad.”

He could hear the barely contained rage in his voice. “He’s still there?”

“Yeah, Celeste’s team, and half of mine are there preventing him from leaving and making sure his Pokémon stay down. Get there. Get him locked up. Because if I see him again, Leon…” He paused, before the rest of his words came as a growl. “I’ll kill him for what he did to her.”

Leon snapped his phone off with rage, startling the people nearby. He stepped outside of the café he was in and activated one pokeball. “Charizard.” His voice was harsh. “Get me to Hammerlocke’s main entrance. As fast as you can.” His partner looked at him for a moment and knew that there was trouble. He turned to allow Leon to get on, and quickly took to the air. Leon could see the chaos as they approached their destination. Charizard landed in the middle of the square, the crowd falling silent as he inspected the area. His face pulled into a scowl when he saw the blood. His little sister’s blood. He had to take a few deep breaths and a minute to remind himself that he was the Champion. He was the example many people lived by. He couldn’t kill the man that had hurt his sister, as much as he wanted to in that moment. His tone was dangerous as he spoke to him.

“You had better hope Celeste is okay, for your sake. Because if anything happens to her, I won’t stop Raihan from tearing you apart. I might even help him.” He growled. He approached Calem with purpose. Celeste’s and Raihan’s Pokémon tensed, ready to aid Leon if needed. He reached down and removed the pokeballs from his lap and recalled all of Calem’s fallen Pokémon to their balls. “As the Champion of Galar, I am confiscating your Pokémon for what you have done here today. You have intentionally attacked another trainer directly. You will be arrested, and I promise you, you will be tried.” By then, the actual police force had arrived. “Get this man out of my sight.” He growled. He handed over Calem’s Pokémon. “These Pokémon need to be tended to, and likely need rehabilitation.” He took in Raihan’s and Celeste’s teams. “You all did well, let’s get you to the Pokémon Center, and then back to the Gym until we hear from Raihan. Charizard, carry Anubis. Apollo, take Loki.”

As soon as Raihan had rushed Celeste into the hospital, they had rushed her back. He’d been left standing there, until some of the adrenaline started to fade and his own injury started to take its toll on him. When he finally fell to his knees, one of the nurses rushed out to check on him. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was injured too. “Leader Raihan! Why didn’t you say you were injured too!” She scolded him as she helped him back to his own room.

He let out a weak mumble. “She’s more important, by far.”

The nurse shook her head as she placed an IV. She worked quickly, pushing a heavy dose of pain medication into the line. He tried to argue, but before too long, the drugs were pulling him into sleep. They then worked to remove his ruined uniform top. She called for an available doctor, since several of them were working on Celeste, her injuries very similar, but far more extensive. They cleaned the wounds and closed them as much as they could. The ragged gashes were too wide in some places to close properly, though. Finally, they applied a thick layer of recovery gel. Humans were far more fragile than Pokémon, and while medicine had advanced significantly, there was only so much that they could do to speed up human healing without doing more harm to the tissues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo......yeah. Shower me with the comments. I'm ready.


	47. A Champion's Concern

Leon was becoming increasingly more worried as time went on. It had been hours since Raihan had called him on his way to the hospital, and he still hadn’t heard anything from him. He’d long since brought Raihan’s and Celeste’s Pokémon to Hammerlocke’s Gym. After pacing for a bit, he finally let out a curse. “Damn it. Something’s got to be wrong.” He looked back at their Pokémon. “You guys stay here. I’m going to go figure out what’s going on.” He gave some quick instructions to the Gym staff for handling any challengers for the rest of the day. “Charizard.” He called out his friend when he walked out of the stadium. “Take me to the hospital.”

Raihan fought to open his eyes. As he blearily looked around the room, the beeping of the machines helped him remember where he was. His eyes widened when realization hit him. He started pulling at the monitor leads attached to him. As the machines started to whine, a nurse came rushing in. “What are you doing?! You need to stay in bed!”

“Where is she? I have to see her!” He growled back.

“You need to calm down! Doctor!” She called out for assistance, rushing to his side to try to keep his hands from pulling at anything else.

“Leader Raihan!” His focus snapped to the doctor that had just stormed into the room. “I need you to calm down, right now.” His voice was stern. Raihan stilled, his body taut, ready to snap. “Now then. You’re worried about Miss Celeste, yes?” At Raihan’s tense nod, he continued. “We have her stabilized.” Raihan let out a sigh, the tension draining from his body as he sagged against the bed. “She lost a lot of blood and required a transfusion. We’ve tended to her injuries as best we could, the same as yours. She’s still unconscious. We aren’t entirely sure when she is going to wake up.”

“But she’s alright?”

The doctor nodded, lips pulled tight. “She isn’t out of the woods yet, since her injuries were far more extensive than your own, but she is currently stable, yes.”

“I need to be with her.”

“I’ll see about arranging to have you moved to her room.” The doctor held up a finger. “But if you try to get out of that bed without mine or my nurse’s permission, then you won’t get to be anywhere near her. I don’t need that kind of disturbance in my hospital.”

Raihan frowned, his thoughts pulling away from Celeste for a moment. “How long are you keeping me here, doc? I’ve got a Gym to run.”

The doctor met his gaze for a long moment before finally sighing. “I need you to stay here at least overnight. After that, since I expect you will be here with Miss Celeste quite frequently, I expect you to get your bandages changed every day when you are here with her. Does that sound fair?”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

A short time later, they rolled his bed into her room. His heart ached when he saw her laying there. She was thoroughly bandaged, her arms resting atop her blankets. He asked the nurse to roll his bed close enough to hold her hand. After a long moment she finally agreed. He shifted closer to the edge of his bed, reaching over to slide her hand into his as soon as the nurse left the room. His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner, Princess.” He laid there, watching her, his hand clasped around her own before the drugs they’d given him finally pulled him back to sleep.

About an hour later, Leon was finally arriving at the hospital. When he walked in, he went straight to the front desk. “I’m looking for former Champion Celeste. Raihan brought her in several hours ago.”

The woman at the desk quickly pulled up the admittance list from the day. “Ah, yes, it looks like both miss Celeste and Leader Raihan were admitted. It seems that they’re in the same room though.”

Leon frowned. “Wait, both of them were admitted?”

She nodded. “It appears that way, Champion. It looks as though Leader Raihan was also injured when he arrived.”

“Can I see them?”

She typed a few more things into the computer before standing. “Follow me. This way.” She led him through the maze that was the hospital. Secretly, he was thankful that she was showing him the way. He had a difficult enough time with directions as it was, and the hospital was confusing, at best. Before long, she stopped before one of the rooms. “This is their room. Please call for a nurse when you are finished visiting.”

He nodded. “Thanks.” As she walked away, he knocked lightly on the door. When he didn’t get any response, he opened the door slowly. Both of them were asleep. His brows furrowed in concern when he saw the bandages wrapped around Raihan’s torso and Celeste’s arms. She looked quite pale, laying there hooked up to the IV and various machines. He walked over to Raihan’s side and gently placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. The dragon tamer’s eyes snapped open as he tensed. “Easy, man. It’s me.”

He let out sigh as he relaxed. “Leon. How long have you been here?”

“Just got here. I hadn’t heard anything from you for hours, so I was getting worried. Finally had to come check up on you myself.” Leon frowned. “How come you didn’t mention that you were hurt too? What the hell happened?”

Raihan let out a long sigh. “I was in the middle of a match when Juno came rushing into the Gym. I abandoned the match and rushed after her. When I got there, Anubis and Loki were barely hanging on against five of the six of her ex’s team. She was laying on the ground, covered in blood.” His voice became tight. “I sent my team to help hers. I wrapped my hoodie around her to try to slow some of the bleeding. He freaked out about me being near her and then one of his Pokémon attacked again. I covered her as much as I could and took the hit to my back. When I called you, I was more worried about her and everything else than I was about myself. Didn’t even really consider mentioning my own wounds until the adrenaline wore off and I collapsed.” He tried to shrug, wincing when it pulled his wounds.

“I’m glad you’re okay. How bad is she?” Leon asked, nodding toward Celeste.

“The doc says she’s stable, at least for now. Said she’s not out of the woods yet, though, because there was so much more damage than what I had. They’re not sure how long she’s going to be here.”

“What about you?”

Raihan grimaced. “I have to stay the night. Then I have to get my bandages changed daily. I’ll be able to spend some time every day dealing with challengers, but Leon, I don’t want her to be alone. I know she’s safe here, but I…”

Leon nodded. “I get it. I’ll stay with her during the day while you’re taking care of your Gym duties. I assume you’ll be here at night?”

Raihan nodded. “Yeah. Not a chance that I’m gonna stay away from her side.” He cocked his head to the side then. “By the way, where are our teams at?”

“I got them all tended to. They’re at the Gym right now.”

“Good. Camilla and the others will take care of them. I’ll take Celeste’s pokeballs with me when I leave tomorrow.”

“Her team is really anxious. They may not want to go back in their balls until it is time to see her.”

Raihan shrugged, wincing again. “I know, and that’s fine. But I honestly think they’ll probably want to be here with her in their balls. I guess we’ll see when I get there.”

Leon rubbed his neck, letting out a sigh. “I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll be back in the morning to stay with her while you do your job.”

“Thanks man.”

Leon waved over his shoulder as he headed for the door. “Night.” Once he closed the door behind him, he waved down a nurse and sheepishly asked to be shown the way out. Once he was outside, he ran a hand over his face and let out a long sigh. He had been dreading making the call, but he would rather have Hop hear it from him, than have him see it on the news. He pulled out his phone and dialed. When his little brother answered, Leon could tell he hadn’t seen the news yet, he was still bright and cheerful. “Hey, bro. Where are you right now?” At his response he sighed. “I need to talk to you, think you could meet me in front of Hammerlocke’s stadium?” At his affirmative he added. “Do me a favor and don’t look at any news until I talk to you. Oh. And stay away from the main entrance to the city, there was an incident there that they’re working on cleaning up from still.” He paused. “Okay, yeah. I’ll see you in a few.”

He ended the call and called out his faithful friend. “Charizard.” At the concerned look the Fire-type gave him, he patted him on the neck. “They’re both going to be alright. It’s just going to take awhile. I need you to take me to Raihan’s Gym. I need to meet Hop and tell him what's going on.” Charizard nodded, turning to allow Leon to climb on his back. Hop was already at the Gym, waiting for him when he arrived. He quickly returned Charizard before nodding his head to the side. “C’mon, let’s take this somewhere a bit more private.” Hop frowned at the request, but followed. He was starting to worry. Leon wasn’t acting like his normal self.

Once they were away from the main street, Leon turned to look at Hop. His voice was unusually serious. “You remember all that stuff about Celeste’s ex when she came home, right?”

Hop nodded. “Yeah. Lee, what’s going on? You’re acting weird.”

“Raihan and Celeste are in the hospital right now." Hop gasped. "Her ex showed up here today and attacked her. When Raihan showed up, he got hurt protecting her.” Hop’s eyes widened, and he could see the gears turning in his head, so he continued. “It’s pretty bad. She’s still unconscious, but the doctors say she should be alright. She’s probably going to be in the hospital for at least a few days still. Raihan didn’t get it as bad, so he’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

“What happened?” Hop croaked out. He was barely holding together, just hearing that his big sister was in the hospital was bad enough. But that she would be there for several days at least. He knew it had to be bad.

“He clearly had abused his pokemon. He had them attack her directly. Based on what Raihan told me, she sent Juno to get him while she had Anubis and Loki trying to protect her. It sounds like she sent the rest of her team to keep people away.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He couldn’t hold it back anymore, and he was starting to cry.

Leon pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly. “I know, but I honestly don’t know the exact details beyond that.” As Hop started to sob against his chest, his own eyes teared up. The anger, worry, and now pain, were finally catching up with him, and hearing his little brother sob was the last hit to bring his own emotional walls crashing down. “She’s gonna be alright, Hop.” He murmured against the top of his brothers head. They stood there for a long moment, Leon silently letting a few tears run down his own cheeks while he held his brother.

When Hop finally calmed down, he pulled away. “I should go see her.”

Leon shook his head. “No. She’d want you to focus on your challenge.”

“But, I…”

He cut him off. “Raihan and I will watch over her. You worry about doing what you need to for the challenge. You know that's what she’d want you to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first: Nobody is safe from the angst here. 
> 
> Now, onto the main part of the note that I wanted to get to:  
> Okay. So, obviously medicine in the Pokémon universe has advanced far more even than what we have now. That being said, I feel like limitations on healing for humans in the Pokémon world exist simply because of the physiologic difference between Pokémon and people. Pokémon can be healed nearly instantaneously with the aid of the various health items and the machines in the Pokémon Centers. But people? Tissue can only heal so quickly, even with advanced fancy Pokémon universe medicines.
> 
> Certainly, the more extensive your wounds are, the longer they are going to take to heal. Especially if you aren't able to fully close all of the wounds. Wounds that have to heal by second intention (just left open, no surgical closure) take far longer to heal depending on the size of the area that needs to heal over, compared to surgically closed wounds, which will, on average take about 10-14 days to heal. Even then, it still takes time for the skin and damaged tissue to remodel itself and then be considered fully healed. And obviously, you have much higher potential for infection and scarring if you have to let wounds heal by second intention, as many of the wide, ragged gashes that Celeste received would need to do.


	48. The Road to Recovery

The next morning, Leon arrived at the hospital and was again directed to their room. When he walked in, Raihan was just getting the all clear to leave. They were pulling his IV and all removing all the monitors from him. He looked up at Leon’s arrival. “Oi, you didn’t happen to bring me any clothes, did you?”

Leon held up the small bag in his hand. “You mean these?”

As the nurse left the room, Raihan stood slowly before taking the bag from Leon. He pulled the clean uniform top on slowly, wincing when he lifted his arms above his head. Leon frowned in concern. “You sure you’re ready to battle today?”

Raihan looked over his shoulder. “Not like I really have much choice.” He didn’t bother worrying about Leon’s presence as he changed into the clean shorts.

Leon let out a sigh. “Raihan.” The dragon tamer turned back toward his friend. “I know it’s going to be hard, but you need to focus when you get back there. She’s alright, and I’m here with her. Go do your job.”

He nodded. “I know.” He let out a dark chuckle. “I almost feel bad for the challengers when I get back. I’ve got a lot of anger to get out right now.” Leon just clapped a hand to his shoulder and took a seat next to Celeste’s bed. Raihan quickly walked out, called out his Noivern, and set off to the stadium. When he arrived, he made for the training area, where he was sure his and Celeste’s teams would be waiting.

Sure enough, they bombarded him when he walked in. “Alright, my team, hang off to the side for a minute.” He looked at Celeste’s Pokémon, all crowded around him, anxiety and worry in their eyes. “She’s going to be alright you guys. It’s just going to be a bit before she wakes up.” He gestured to their balls on his hip. “I brought your pokeballs if you want to stay in them and be close to her, but you can’t come out of them in the hospital. Otherwise, you can stay here, and as soon as she’s able, I’ll bring her back here. Your choice.” He set their pokeballs down in front of them and turned to address his own team. “Alright guys. I don’t want to be away from her any longer than I have to be, but I promised Leon I would do my job. So, let’s go out there and crush some challengers.” He quickly returned his own Pokémon and turned to see all but Anubis had returned to their balls. Anubis stared at him for a long moment before nodding, and finally returning himself as well. He placed Celeste’s team back on his hip and headed for the pitch.

He hadn’t been kidding when he said he was going to crush the challengers. He held nothing back. Over the course of a few hours, he and his team were exhausted, but they had cleared out all of the challengers that had been waiting for him. He quickly explained the situation to his staff and let them know that he would be back in the morning to do the same thing. Once everything was settled, he set off to the hospital. When he walked in, Leon quickly spoke up. “You look beat.”

He shrugged. “Between the stress from all of this, and back to back challengers for hours, yeah, I’m beat.” He sat down in Leon’s place.

“How’s your back doing?”

“Honestly?” He sighed. “It’s killing me. You don’t realize how many muscles in your back are always moving for the simplest of actions until they’re on fire with every move.” He looked up at Leon. “I saw Hop earlier. Told him to wait until she was up, so he’d be more focused when he battled me.”

Leon sighed. “Yeah, he called me and told me. I think it was the right call though. He was pretty upset yesterday when I told him what had happened.” He looked at his friend again. “You need anything before I go?”

Raihan shook his head. “Nah. I’ll see you in the morning.” Once Leon left, he placed Celeste’s team next to her on the bed. All of the balls rattled gently when they were placed next to their trainer. One of the nurses came by and changed his bandages. She scolded him when she saw how much blood was on them, telling him that he was overdoing it. He simply nodded and asked for some painkillers. After she left, he took Celeste’s hand once more and settled in for the night. At some point, he fell asleep, and it was only when Leon came in the morning that he woke up. Raihan could see the concern in his friends’ eyes, but he didn’t say anything. He pointed out Celeste’s team next to her and headed for the stadium. He stopped taking challengers early in the afternoon and made for the hospital. Leon brought him some food before he left for the night. He ate quietly, then resumed his place, holding her hand, before he would fall asleep. This continued for nearly a full week, until one night a whimper woke him up sometime in the middle of the night.

“Rai?” Her eyes were barely open, and her voice was weak from the drugs they had her on.

“Princess?” He bolted upright and squeezed her hand gently.

“Where am I?”

“Hospital, babe. Your insane ex attacked you. Remember?”

“Oh.”

“Hey.” His voice was gentle. “You’re going to be okay, but they’re still working on healing you. As happy as I am that you’re awake, you should go back to sleep.”

“Mmkay. Rai?”

“Yeah, Princess?”

“Love you.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I love you too, Princess.” With that, she closed her eyes and was quickly back to sleep. He was up for the rest of the night, watching her. When Leon arrived in the morning, he told him what had happened. “She woke up briefly last night.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. She was pretty out of it, so I don’t know if she’ll remember or not.”

“Well, the doctor said everything has been going well. Yesterday he said that if she doesn’t have any evidence of infection by now, that she likely won’t have any issues. Said that she’ll probably be here another week before she’s ready to go home. So, then we’ll be able to get her out of here and home with one of us.”

“She’ll be staying with me.” Raihan almost growled. At Leon’s raised brow he sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep much after she woke up last night.”

Leon clapped him on the shoulder. “I know man. I’m glad she has you.”

A thought struck Raihan. Honestly, it had been bouncing around in his head for a while. “Leon. I gotta ask you something.” Leon cocked his head at the change in his tone. “You said that her parents are gone, right?” Leon nodded in response, not sure where Raihan was going with this. “Then I guess you’re the next best person to tell and/or ask this to. I love her, more than I thought possible. The thought that I was going to lose her…” He shook his head. “I think it would break me. I would give up everything for her. What I’m trying to say is, I want your blessing to ask her to marry me.”

Leon was silent for a moment before letting out a long breath. “Wow. I gotta say, Raihan, while I figured it might happen, I didn’t think it would be for a year or so still.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I told you when you met her that I was fine with it as long as you didn’t hurt her. If this hadn’t happened, I probably would have told ya to wait a while still.” Raihan opened his mouth to argue, but Leon held up a hand. “Let me finish.” He met his eyes. “I’ve watched you over the last week. You’ve been running yourself ragged just to be by her side, in spite of your own injuries. I don’t doubt what you’re saying. So, yeah, you’ve got my blessing.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder again before sending him off. “Now go on, you’ve got challengers to crush.”

They were nearing the end of the challenge season, so really the main challengers he had left at that point were the ones that were determined to beat him and had already challenged him a few times. He lost a couple times that day, but when he was finally done, he still had half the afternoon left. He’d had the stone for a while now, just waiting for the right use for it. He made for the jewelers with the stone in his pocket. He had the perfect design in mind to show the world that she was his. He was told it would be about a week and a half before it was done, and he figured if he timed it right, he would give it to her after she beat him. With that taken care of, he headed to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was probably a bit mean and added the character death tag when I posted the last chapter. I bet I worried a few of you, huh? 😈😈 It might be a bit before we actually get the chapter that revolves around that particular tag. 
> 
> Speaking of chapters, I have like 3 chapters to go until I have a break in the story. I have a chapter or two in there that I'm really struggling to write, including the chapter that warrants the character death tag. I have a general idea of what I want in there, but it's just really fighting me when I've been trying to put it together. So, once we get through these next few chapters, there might be a long posting break. Sorry. 😢😢😢


	49. Healing the Spirit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I actually combined this into one chapter. The more I read this, the less I wanted it to be two separate chapters. This means that it's a bit longer than most of the chapters I have posted in this story up until now. On the one hand, yay for more story. But on the other hand, it means we are that much closer to my little section of writers block. Which, boo.
> 
> This chapter has a bit of it all. Mild angst, fluff, smut, and a bit more mild angst for good measure. Enjoy!

They continued the same routine over the course of the next week. Celeste had woken up a couple more times during the week, and was more coherent each time. The doctor had informed them that she would be able to go home at the end of the week. That afternoon, after he’d finished up at the Gym he headed back to the hospital for, what he was hoping was the last time. He arrived as they were finishing removing the last of the bandages, so he met Leon out in the waiting room. They shared a look and sat down to wait. It was about an hour before the nurse came to get them. She smiled as she told them that Celeste was awake and getting dressed. She would need to take it easy for several days still, but she was free to go home.

As soon as they were given the okay, they rushed into the room, Raihan first. She was sitting on the bed still when she looked up at their entrance. She looked exhausted still, but her eyes were clear, and she had a gentle smile on her face. She slowly stood, and he didn’t hesitate to wrap her in his arms. She quickly folded her own around him and spoke quietly. “I’m alright, Rai.” After a long moment, he pulled back, and kissed her. It was tame compared to what he was feeling, but he finally let her go when Leon cleared his throat.

“I’m glad you’re okay, sis.” He wrapped her into his own embrace, albeit for a much shorter time than Raihan had held her. He rolled his eyes when his friend wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him as soon as he released her.

“Hey, Princess, let’s get you home so you can see your team. They’re dying to see you.”

She smiled. “I know. Their pokeballs have been rattling since I put them on my hip.”

“You feeling up to flying on Noivern with me?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you go. Let’s go home.”

Once they got to the house, they headed for the backyard. Celeste didn’t even have to say a word before her team was standing in front of her. The all made to move when Raihan called out sharply. “One at a time. She’s still recovering.” They all hesitated and waited for their trainer to make a move.

Celeste slowly took a knee, opening her arms. “Loki.” The Gengar phased before reappearing in her arms, tears running down its now solid form as he bawled. “I know. You did a great job, though.” She held the Ghost-type for several more minutes before murmuring something to him. He pulled back and she slowly stood. “Apollo.” The Goodra slowly walked over to her before gently wrapping her in his arms. She murmured something to the Dragon-type before he finally released her. “Aura.” The Hatterene also wrapped her up, her soft cries echoing around them. When the Psychic/Fairy-type released her, she called over the next Pokémon. “Morpheus.” The Dragapult floated over to her, rubbing against her uninjured side. She rubbed underneath his chin for a few moments before he floated away.

“Juno.” The Cinderace wrapped her up in her arms. He could hear her muffled words. “Thank you for bringing Rai to save me.” The Fire-type released her. Celeste turned to her Lucario. “Anubis.” He looked at the ground, not moving. Frowning, Celeste walked over to him. She placed a hand against the side of his muzzle. “Hey, look at me.” He slowly turned his face up to hers. “You did wonderfully. It was a bad situation, and not your fault that Greninja got passed you. You and Loki were outnumbered.” He dropped his eyes from hers again. “Anubis. It’s not your fault. It’s Calem’s. And I’m okay. I promise.” Finally, with what sounded like a sniffle, the Fighting/Steel-type buried his face in her chest and wrapped his arms around her, being mindful of the spike on his chest. She held him the longest, as he was clearly the most affected by the attack.

When she finally released Anubis, Raihan released his own Pokémon. He turned his attention back to Celeste. “Alright, Princess, you don’t need to overdo it. The doctor said you still need to take it easy for a few days.”

She frowned before she looked back at him. “Rai? How much time is left before the semi-finals?”

He frowned a bit, realizing what she was asking. “About three weeks. Should be enough time for you to take a week to finish recovering, beat me, and then take a week or so to train a bit, and make it to Wyndon.”

“Already sure you’re going to lose?” She challenged.

He shrugged. “After all this? I don’t see how I couldn’t lose. I don’t mean that I’m going to make it easy.” He walked over and wrapped her in his arms. “But I would give up the world for you, Princess.” His voice was low, thick with emotion.

“Let’s go inside.”

As they walked inside, she was thoughtful for a moment. They had just walked into the living room when she paused. “Hey Rai?” He hummed in response, watching her closely. She turned then, taking his hands in hers before stretching up on her toes to kiss him.

He yielded to her kiss, deepening it. She let out a low moan before he remembered himself. He gently pulled his hands from hers, placing them on her shoulders and carefully pushed her back, stopping her. “Babe, I don’t want to hurt you. You’re still recovering.” He was frowning.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m fine. Rai, please.” Her voice turned fragile. “I need you. I need us.”

He took a sharp breath. “Celeste. If we do this, you have to promise me that you will tell me if I do something that hurts.”

She nodded. “Please, Rai. I promise.”

He groaned as he rested his forehead against hers. “I swear, I can’t handle it when you do that.” Without another word, he picked her up and headed for the bedroom. He set her on her feet next to the bed. He pulled off his hoodie and tossed it to the side. He reached for her own hoodie, but she stopped him with her hands on his, hesitation evident in her eyes. He quickly understood why. He rested his forehead against hers once more. “I don’t care about the scars. You’re just as beautiful with them, as you were without. Besides, dragons need tough princesses.” She giggled at that and relaxed her hold on his hands. Gently, mindful that she was still sore, he pulled the hoodie off of her. He ran his hands gently over her arms. Meeting her eyes, he slowly kissed his way up one of her scarred arms. When he reached her shoulder, he moved, kissing her deeply, their tongues dancing together. While they kissed, she ran her hands under his shirt, up his abs before wrapping around to run down his back. Her eyes widened and she gasped, pulling away. He tilted his head to the side, brow raised at her sudden change in demeanor. “Princess? What is it? What hurts?”

She shook her head. “It’s not me. Let me see your back.” Her voice was tight, tension filling her features.

His expression fell before he complied, pulling his shirt off and turning around. She gently ran her fingers over the jagged lines running across his back, so similar to the ones all over her own body. “This is my fault.” She whispered, pain in her voice. “I’m so sorry, Rai.”

He turned, pulling her against his chest. “No. Don’t do that. This isn’t your fault.” He could feel her starting to shake against him. His voice lowered, turning quiet. “Babe.” She continued to shake, her tears starting to make themselves known against his chest. “Baby, look at me. Please?” She finally pulled away, but she still wouldn’t look at him. He reached down and tipped her chin up to make her look at him. The tears running down her cheeks broke his heart. He ran his thumb under her eye, wiping some of the tears away. “Listen to me. This? This is not your fault.” His next words came out as a growl. “It’s his. He’s the one that came here and attacked you.” His voice softened again as he ran his hands up her arms. “I would have gladly taken everything he did to you upon myself, had I been there sooner. So, please…please don’t blame yourself for something you didn’t do.” He leaned in, kissing her forehead before tilting her face up to meet her lips with his own.

She wrapped her arms around his neck again as she deepened the kiss, bringing a groan to his lips when she caught his lip between her teeth. His hands moved to the hem of her shirt, his thumbs stroking her skin under the fabric. She pulled away, reaching down to lift her shirt up and off, tossing it to the side. Her confidence was starting to rush back as Raihan stepped back, looking her up and down, licking his lips in anticipation. Her own lips finally twitched into a smirk, the spark of a challenge flashing in her eyes.

His lips twitched into a smile before he pulled her in for another kiss, hands roaming. He felt her own hands running across his body before she stopped at his pants. They were the next article of clothing gone, leaving him in only his boxers. He jerked his head toward the bed, and she quickly laid down, scooting back to leave him room. He crawled over her, kissing her once more before he started kissing his way down her body. He ignored her bra for the time being and continued kissing down her belly, diverting his attention to the scars on her side. He ran his tongue across them, earning a surprised gasp from Celeste. Smirking with the sound, he reached for her shorts, pulling them down, along with her panties. She lifted her hips to help.

Once Raihan tossed the clothing to the side, he started kissing his way back up the inside of her leg. He reached the top of her thigh, and instead of stopping there, continued back up her stomach to her chest. He reached behind her and undid her bra quickly, pulling it off of her and tossing it to the side. He palmed one of her breasts as he kissed her again. She moaned into the kiss and reached up, pulling his headband off so she could bury her fingers in his hair. When they broke for air, a wicked smile danced across her face. “You’re still wearing too many clothes.” Chuckling, he pulled away long enough to remove his boxers. He was already hard, and he smirked as she took him in. “Like what you see, Princess?”

She nodded as he crawled back over to her. “Always.” He lifted her leg over his shoulder and set his focus at the apex of her thighs. He ran his finger along her slit, circling her clit, eliciting a shiver from her. He then did the same with his tongue, this time earning a gasp for his efforts. Smirking, he continued to assault her clit with his tongue while he slid first one, then two fingers into her, working them in and out. He knew that he was a bit larger than average, not that he would ever brag, and after everything she had been through the last couple weeks, he wanted to make sure she was ready for him, even though it was hardly their first time. He arched his fingers up to hit her just right, that she moaned. It was followed closely by his name. “Rai, please. I need…” She trailed off as she spasmed around his fingers. He let her catch her breath as he crawled up over her. “What do you need, babe?” His voice was husky before he kissed her. When he pulled away, she answered, breathless. “I need you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he reached down to line himself up with her entrance. He gently eased into her. She was perfect for him, just tight enough that they both got the friction they needed. They both moaned as he filled her. He breathed into her neck. “Arceus, you’re perfect, babe.”

Gently, trying to be mindful of her injuries, he started thrusting slowly, but then she needed more and hooked a leg over his hip. He started increasing his pace when she grimaced. He stopped instantly, concern evident on his face. “Ah, it’s fine Rai. I think I just need to change position.” Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, rolling them over so she was straddling him. He gasped as she took him in her hand to guide him back into her. She started to ride him as he thrust from below, both of them quickly building back up to where they had been. They were both near completion when Raihan sat up and closed his mouth over one of her breasts, teeth grazing as he sucked on her. She rocked her head back before she leaned forward once more, pulling his mouth to hers as she climaxed around him. He followed right behind her, her walls milking him for everything he had. He laid back, letting her rest on his chest for a moment, both of them breathing hard. She finally rolled off of him, and settled in next to him, head on his shoulder and arm across his chest as he wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. They laid there for a bit before her exhaustion caught up with her and she fell asleep.

Later in the night, she woke with a start, breathing hard. Raihan rolled over, eyes cracking open. “What’s wrong, babe?”

She shook her head. “Just a dream.”

“Tell me.”

“I was going through the attack again. Only this time, it didn’t end.” She shuddered before tears welled in her eyes. “Then I had to watch as they ripped apart you, and Lee, and Hop.” Her tears finally overflowed, running down her cheeks.

“C’mere.” He gently pulled her back to him, letting her rest her head on his arm. He wrapped his other arm around her from behind. “It’s alright, baby. We’re all fine. I swear I won’t let anyone hurt you like that ever again.”

The next day, she was stiff when she woke up, but nothing she couldn’t deal with. After fixing breakfast, she gathered her team. Raihan was yawning as he walked into the kitchen. “Going to train?”

She nodded. “Yeah. This really screwed with my plans, but I figure I’ve got a couple days that I can spend training. Then beat you. Then have enough time to make it to Wyndon.”

He yawned again. The night before had been the best he had slept in a couple of weeks. “Just don’t overdo it.” He moved to kiss her temple. “Love you.”

She returned the gesture with a kiss to his cheek. “Love you too, Rai.”

The next few days flew by, until Raihan got a call from the jeweler letting him know his order was finished. He picked it up and kept it close for when Celeste challenged him. She made her challenge a few days later, roughly a week after she had gotten home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Celeste didn't know that Raihan got hurt. And he didn't say anything, so the first time she feels/sees his scars from the attack, it hits her hard. I think it's a reasonable response though. It's one thing to be the target of something like what Celeste went through, but then to realized that the person (or people) you love ended up as collateral? That's gonna hurt.


	50. Slaying the Dragon

When she stepped into the Gym, the staff greeted her enthusiastically. “Finally ready to challenge, Miss Celeste?” She simply nodded, her eyes serious. Today she wasn’t here as Raihan’s girlfriend. Today she was here as a challenger. She knew her way around the Gym already with as many times as she’d been there, so they didn’t escort her to the locker room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her face pulling into a grimace. After much persuasion on Raihan’s part, she had decided to leave her uniform the way that it was. She wouldn’t hide the scars and let Calem win, so she bore them proudly as she stepped out of the locker room and headed for the side area where she would battle Raihan’s Gym Trainers. They turned expectantly when she entered, and she could see that they wanted to be as friendly as normal, but instead of her usual welcome, they all settled for a nod as well.

Sebastian stepped forward first. “I hope you’re ready for double battles. That is the format that has been chosen for this challenge.” She nodded as he sent out both of his Pokémon. “Pelipper and Sliggoo. Let’s go!”

“Apollo and Morpheus.”

“Pelipper use Air Slash. Sliggoo Dragon Pulse”

“Counter it, Apollo. Morpheus, Dragon Rush on Sliggoo.” Apollo released his own Dragon Pulse, cancelling out Sliggoo’s attack. Morpheus’s attack slammed into Sliggoo then, staggering the other Dragon Pokémon. Pelipper’s Air Slash hit both of her dragons, doing little to nothing against Morpheus, and only mildly damaging Apollo.

“Water Pulse and Dragon Pulse!”

“Dragon Rush on Sliggoo, then Steel Wing on Pelipper. Power Whip on Pelipper.” Morpheus was simply too fast for either of Sebastian’s Pokémon to counter, and as soon as his Sliggoo was down, Pelipper was right behind it with the combination of Steel Wing and Power Whip.

Sebastian recalled his fallen Pokémon a wry smile on his face. “As to be expected of the Boss Lady.”

Celeste’s brow rose with the name when Camilla stepped forward. “Alright. It’s my turn now. Let’s go, Ninetales! Turtonator!”

She recalled Morpheus and sent Aura out to join Apollo. “Aura!”

“Will-O-Wisp and Shell Trap!”

Celeste scoffed. “As if I’d fall for that. Don’t insult me, Camilla. Muddy Water and Dazzling Gleam! Take them down with one hit!” Apollo flinched with the burn that he received from Camilla’s Ninetales, but still put all of his power into the Water attack, knocking out the Fire Pokémon. Aura absolutely devastated Turtonator with the Fairy-type attack. Camilla sighed as she recalled her Pokémon.

Aria swallowed as she stepped forward. None of the trainers that had come through had devastated them quite to the extent, or as quickly as Celeste was doing. “Abomasnow! Hakamo-o! Let’s do it!”

Celeste recalled Apollo, not wanting him to suffer with his burns. “Juno, Overheat. Aura, Dazzling Gleam.”

“Counter with Shadow Claw and Icy Wind!” Aria panicked as Celeste was quick to begin their match. It was over before it could even begin. Her matchups were even worse than Camilla’s had been. She bowed her head as she recalled her fainted Pokémon.

Celeste recalled her team and headed back to the locker room briefly to tend to them. Apollo had taken the worst damage, especially with his burns, so she took extra precautions to ensure that everyone was at one hundred percent before heading out to face Raihan. She was just finishing when one of his staffers knocked on the door to take her to the pitch. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to prepare herself. Having Raihan’s trainers see her scars in a fairly isolated environment was one thing, but now she was getting ready to show them to the world. She took another deep breath before she snapped her eyes open and made for the pitch. The crowd fell silent when they saw the scars. She was dating Raihan and was a former Champion, so of course the world knew about what had happened. People slowly stood and began to cheer as she continued onto the pitch. Smiling, she raised a hand to wave, and the crowd erupted.

Raihan was waiting for her. He was smiling at the crowd’s reaction. “I told you it was the way to go.” After she nodded, he turned serious. “Are you ready for a four-on-four double battle?”

“I’ve been ready.” She called back.

“Then let’s begin. Go Flygon and Gigalith!”

Her brow rose. She knew he had non-Dragon types, but she had always thought he had only used them for training. But as quickly as she realized he wasn’t going purely Dragon-type, she reacted with her own starting duo. “Apollo! Aura!”

As soon as all four Pokémon were out, a sandstorm kicked up, courtesy of Gigalith’s special ability. Eyes narrowing, Celeste’s mind raced through the possibilities before she and Raihan called out moves almost simultaneously.

“Gigalith! Stealth Rock! Flygon! Crunch on Hatterene!”

“Aura! Dazzling Gleam on Flygon! Apollo! Muddy Water followed by Power Whip on Gigalith!”

The Hatterene managed to avoid Flygon’s attack with her well timed counter. As Flygon fell back, Goodra released its Water attack, hitting both of Raihan’s Pokémon, followed immediately by the Grass attack directed at Gigalith.

“Thunderbolt on Goodra! Rock Blast on Hatterene!”

“Dazzling Gleam! Dragon Pulse! Then Muddy Water!”

Both of the trainers were calling out attacks and counter attacks rapid fire. The crowd was stunned when both Raihan’s Gigalith and Flygon fainted, followed closely by Celeste’s Goodra, as all of their attacks had landed almost simultaneously. Her Hatterene was clearly getting tired, but was still standing.

“Sandaconda! Duraludon!”

Her eyes narrowed again when she heard him call Sandaconda out. “Aura! Take a rest! Return! Go Juno! Morpheus!” Both Pokémon flinched when they were hit by Gigalith’s Stealth Rock.

Raihan frowned with her strategy, then he realized what she was doing. She had said from the beginning that she wanted the defeat all of the gyms without using Anubis or Loki as she felt it wouldn’t be fair. He hadn’t stopped to think that she meant the same for him as well. He chuckled to himself. ‘No wonder I love her.’

He quickly Gigantamaxed his Duraludon. “Max Wyrmwind on Dragapult! Earth Power on Cinderace!”

“Phantom Force! Bounce!” Raihan’s jaw dropped when Morpheus avoided the Dynamax attack by phasing out at the perfect time. And he had no idea that Juno knew the flying type move to avoid the ground attack. He was starting to sweat. Dynamax only lasted 3 attacks in battle, and he was now down one with no effect, and Celeste had yet to Dynamax any of her Pokémon.

“Max Wyrmwind as soon as Dragapult reappears! Be ready for Earth Power when Cinderace lands!”

“Pyro Ball! Steel Wing!”

Several things happened at once. Morpheus completed the Phantom Force attack against Sandaconda, as Juno’s Bounce attack landed on Sandaconda as well. Morepheus quickly followed with Steel Wing, giving Juno time to launch her Pyro Ball. As Morpheus retreated from the attack on Sandaconda, Duraludon released his Dynamax attack, taking out Morpheus. Sandaconda then hit Juno with Earth Power, but she managed to remain standing. Both Juno and Sandaconda were exhausted from the damage they had taken.

“Aura! Let’s finish this!” Celeste finally Dynamaxed her Pokémon, utilizing it on Aura.

Raihan could see where things were going. He swore under his breath. “Well, shit.”

“Max Steelspike! Earth Power!”

“Max Starfall! Bounce!”

He should have expected it. Celeste anticipated his moves and avoided losing Juno during the turn, knowing that it would probably take two hits to bring down Duraludon. Both Dynamaxed Pokémon staggered when the attacks hit, but neither went down. And then the signal of the beginning of the end came as Duraludon reverted back to normal. Celeste grinned in victory as they called out their final moves.

“Finish this with Max Starfall! Pyro Ball!”

“Iron Head! Earth Power!”

Before Sandaconda could attack, Cinderace landed the end of the Bounce attack, knocking him out. Duraludon had no chance to land its attack as it was hit by the Dynamax move as well as the Pyro Ball. The crowd went wild when he recalled his Pokémon, declaring Celeste the winner. Celeste recalled her Pokémon and both trainers made for the center of the pitch. Raihan’s gut tightened with a bit of anxiety the closer they got to each other. As was customary, they shook hands, giving her the Dragon Badge at that time. She started to turn to leave the pitch when he grabbed her hand. Catching her eye, he turned his mic up.

“Before everyone leaves, there is something I would like to say.” He turned to Celeste. Her eyes widened as realization hit her when he started to speak. “Celeste, you are the strongest woman I have ever met. And every challenge you face, you do so with grace. You are beautiful, sassy, smart, funny and everything I could ever want. You are also one of the greatest trainers I have ever known. That’s what made me start to fall in love with you, even before I met you, was your abilities as a trainer. Before I knew it, I was completely taken with you, and there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t give up for you.” He dropped to a knee as he pulled the ring out. “Celeste, Princess. Will you marry me?”

As he had dropped to a knee, her hands flew up to her mouth. She was so surprised that she froze for a moment until one of her pokeballs wiggled on her hip. “Yes.” She whispered with a nod. “Yes.” She said louder, finding her voice. The stadium erupted in cheers as Raihan swiftly stood, placing the ring on her hand and sweeping her into his arms. When he released her, he took her hand, and they made for the locker room. Once they were out of the spotlight, she stood there, admiring the ring. There was a ruby in the center, encircled by a gold dragon, with tiny fragments of moonstones in the scales. It was so perfectly, unequivocally Raihan.

“Do you like it?” He asked, tilting his head with the question.

She smiled as she met his eyes. “I love it. I was just thinking how it’s exactly what I would picture if someone had asked me beforehand what type of ring you would give a girl.”

“Not just any girl.” He pulled her into another hug, kissing her for a moment before he let her go. “Only for you, Princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I think, for the final time we can update Celeste's team and all of their moves. Things won't be changing from here on out.
> 
> Anubis (Lucario) knows Close Combat, Meteor Mash, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse  
> Loki (Gengar) knows Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt  
> Juno (Cinderace) knows Pyro Ball, Bounce, Focus Blast, Overheat  
> Apollo (Goodra) Knows Power Whip, Muddy Water, Dragon Pulse, Earthquake  
> Morpheus (Dragapult) knows Dragon Rush, Phantom Force, Steel Wing, Fly  
> Aura (Hatterene) knows Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Hyper Beam, Magical Leaf


	51. A Reporter's Field Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. I guess I lied a bit about having a delay in posting here. I was able to get this chapter written with a bit of help from AdeenBanner for some general brainstorming.

As could be expected, when they walked out of the Gym together, the press was there waiting. They bombarded the pair with questions before the door to the Gym could even close. Celeste had a feeling that there were probably going to be questions about the attack, and probably now, also the engagement. She sought Raihan’s hand and squeezed tightly once her hand found his.

“Celeste! The world saw the scars today during your challenge. Were you trying to make a statement by showing them off?”

She gripped Raihan’s hand tighter for a moment as she answered. “I suppose that in a way, yes I was. I only wanted to make the point that there is nothing that will keep me down.”

“What can you tell us about the attack?”

“There are rumors going around that your ex was the one who attacked you, is that true?”

Raihan frowned as he spoke up. “C’mon guys. One at a time.”

Celeste’s expression was tight. “I don’t know what I can really tell you that hasn’t already been shared by the police.” She glanced at the one reporter who had asked about Calem. “I will say that yes, it was my ex. Beyond that, I think everyone has seen the reports on the incident.”

“Some people claim that you almost died, is that true?”

“No. I’m standing here, clearly.”

“Why do you think your ex attacked you? Do you think it was jealousy? Anger over you leaving?”

A low growl sounded in Raihan’s throat. Before he could speak, Celeste’s tone turned harsh. “I don’t know what he was thinking. My ex is clearly sick, which is part of why I left him. Now, this is a rather unpleasant topic for me, so I would appreciate it if we could move on.”

A rather rotund, greasy haired reporter pushed his way to the front then. Celeste recognized him as one of the ones that had given her such a hard time after she had beaten Kabu. “What do you think will happen to your ex? And what about his Pokémon?”

She glared at him. “I believe I just stated that I didn’t want to speak about the topic any further. Next question.”

One of the friendlier reporters of the group took over the questions then, directing the focus more toward Raihan. “Leader Raihan! Why the sudden engagement?”

He let a wry smile come to his lips. “I don’t know that it’s really that sudden. Even though it’s only been public for a couple months, we have been together for nearly eight months now.”

“But why not wait until after the season is over, or even another year or so? Don’t you feel like you’re rushing things?”

His brow rose. “I don’t see how that’s really anybody’s business but our own, but I’ll humor you. It’s quite simple. I love Celeste. The recent incident made it pretty clear to me that I don’t want to live my life without her. So there really wasn’t any reason to put it off.”

“Celeste, there are rumors that part of the reason for the engagement was because you’re pregnant!”

Her eyes widened. “I think Raihan explained the reasoning pretty well just now. But, no, I’m not pregnant.”

“Aren’t you worried at all about Raihan’s history with women? If you look back, he was quite the playboy before he met you.”

Raihan squeezed her hand then, his body becoming tense before Celeste responded, her tone frosty. “You summarized it perfectly. BEFORE he met me. Raihan has been nothing but faithful to me. I have complete and utter trust in him. If I had any doubt about his commitment to me, then I wouldn’t have said yes.”

“But what about….” The greasy haired reporter was trying to push the issue.

Celeste cut him off. “Next question.”

“Do you think that your relationship affected your battle today at all?”

Raihan snorted. “Were you watching that battle? Did any part of it look compromised to you?”

“With the two of you being so close, wouldn’t you say that you probably knew each other’s strategies going into battle?

Celeste shook her head. “Actually, no. During the month I spent training before our battle, I spent most of my time out in the Wild Area. We both agreed that we wouldn’t talk about my training, or Raihan’s battles. We wanted it to be as fair as possible.”

“But the two of you know each other’s teams inside and out, don’t you?”

Raihan shrugged. “Yeah, we know all of the Pokémon that we each have, but that doesn’t mean we would know each other’s strategy going into the battle.”

Celeste nodded in agreement. “Exactly. I knew Raihan had Gigalith and Sandaconda, but I hadn’t expected to face them in our Gym Battle. I thought he used them mostly for training purposes.”

“Do you think that your plan to propose affected your battle strategy?”

Raihan sighed. “I think we already covered this, but no. I would have proposed whether I won or lost today.” He glanced down at Celeste as she squeezed his hand again. She was looking a bit pale. They had been there for quite awhile already, and it had already been a tiring day for her, only a week after getting out of the hospital. He held up his hand to stall any additional questions. “Honestly, we appreciate everyone’s excitement about the battle today and our engagement, but we’ve both had quite a long day, with quite a bit ahead of us still with the semifinals and finals coming up. I think that it’s time for us to head home.” He turned, wrapping his arm around Celeste’s shoulders and led her away from the Gym. A few of the reporters called after them, but he simply raised his other hand up over his shoulder and waved as they kept walking.

Once they were away from the crowd, Celeste grumbled. “I really hate that one reporter. He’s such a sleazeball.”

“The greasy one that you kept cutting off? Yeah.”

“He was one of the ones that hammered me so hard after I beat Kabu.”

He tightened his hold on her as they walked. “I think the way you handled him today was perfect. I’d just keep cutting him off whenever he shows up. Maybe he’ll get the idea then.”

She snorted. “Maybe.” She leaned into him as they walked. “Thanks for getting us out of there. I didn’t think they’d ever let us leave. I’m exhausted.” Since they were both worn out from the excitement of the day, they called it an early night, heading straight to bed after a light snack.

Celeste had wanted to give her team some time off before training for the semifinals, but the attack and her time recovering had really sucked away most of the time she had left. There were now only two weeks to go before the semifinals and she spent almost every minute of it training hard with her team. They were at the point in training that they weren’t holding anything back, needing to make sure they made that final push to be strong enough to be able to take Leon down.

She took the last couple days off to head up to Wyndon with Raihan. Instead of travelling the routes like she normally would have done, she just took the taxi. It allowed her to make up some of the time they had lost in training. When Hop ran into them when they were wandering around the city, he quite literally threw himself at her, making them both stumble as he hugged her and nearly started sobbing in the center of the street. She patted his back soothingly as he got it out of his system, and reassured him that she was doing just fine.

They strolled around the city for hours before finally checking into their hotel room. They had initially booked separate rooms for all of the challengers that had made it to the semifinals, but they quickly changed the reservation when they told the desk that she would just share Raihan’s room. As the info for the semifinals came in on her phone, Celeste grumbled. “I can’t believe we have to be there so damned early when things don’t even really start until the middle of the day.”

Raihan shrugged as he flopped back onto the bed. “They like all the pomp and such that goes with it. Just deal with it for a couple more days, then the season will be over. And then when one of us is Champion, we can try to change some of it.”

She sighed. “I guess. Though my experience is that it’s pretty difficult to change things in the League once it’s been established.” She changed the topic then. “So, I guess I’ll see you at the end of the day tomorrow, since I have to leave so ridiculously early?”

“Yeah. I’ll be there in the Leader’s box to watch the semis. I’ll come meet you in the staging room after it’s over. Wake me up before you leave in the morning though, kay?”

She finally crawled into bed herself, snuggling into her place in his arms. “Kay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Semifinals are up next! I'm hoping I'll still be able to keep posting pretty regularly until we're done, but I still have some parts that I'm working on. And motivation has been tough the last few days or so.


	52. Shocking the Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! The first part of the semifinals!

As the first of the semifinals matches began, the Gym Leaders all crowded into the box that had been reserved for them. Raihan leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. Nessa tsked at his behavior. “Aren’t you even going to watch the matches?”

He peeled an eye open to look at her. “I don’t see the point of watching this first match, because nobody that we care about is in it. I’ll watch the others. Besides, it’s not like these matches really matter. I already know who’s going to win and be in the finals against all of us anyway.”

Piers growled. “Oi, mate. That’s my lil sis down there.”

Melony spoke up. “That’s hardly the point, Raihan. As a Gym Leader, you should watch all of the matches regardless of if you think they matter or not.”

Gordie spoke up then. “I can take a guess, but why don’t you tell us who is going to win, since you’re so confident.”

Raihan shrugged. “Celeste. Obviously. It’s gonna be either me or her battling Leon.”

“I know she’s good, but do you really think she can win that far? She’s only used four of her six Pokémon throughout the entire challenge. It’s going to be difficult to win with Pokémon that haven’t gotten much experience.” Milo added.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Bea countered. She had watched Celeste’s training battle with her brother, so she knew at least one more of her team was plenty powerful.

Raihan snorted. “Just because she hasn’t used them, doesn’t mean that they are inexperienced. Celeste imposed her own self-limitation to only use the four Pokémon that she did up until the semifinals. She wanted it to be fair to all of us. No, her other two Pokémon alone are more than capable of taking out all of the other challengers, considering they’re already Champion level Pokémon.”

The other Leaders murmured to each other about the implications behind what he’d said. It didn’t take much longer for the first battle of the first round of the semifinals to be over. Piers’s sister won, and quite easily too. He figured she might give Celeste a decent battle, but likely still wouldn’t make her work very hard. He sat up as she finally strode onto the field. After she beat him, she changed her uniform up. She was satisfied that she had made her statement, but she really wasn’t comfortable showing the scars all the time.

She was now sporting a bit of a combination of uniforms. She had picked up the Ghost uniform’s leggings, black with a few stripes of purple wrapping up from her ankles and around her calves. She paired that with a tight fitting, low cut, long sleeve black undershirt that had a couple purple stripes at the wrists, paying homage to the design of the Ghost uniform’s top. It was cut out over the shoulders. Over her leggings, she wore the spandex version of his own uniform’s shorts. He couldn’t help the growl that rose in his throat at the way it made her ass pop as she walked onto the field. Over the undershirt, she likewise wore his uniform top. She was wearing the loose tank top version of it, just as low cut as her under shirt. She’d also changed her snapback, the color scheme reflecting his uniform colors as well, with her usual shades sitting over the brim of the snapback.

Piers let out a low whistle. “Damn.”

Gordie nodded. “You said it, man.”

This time, the growl that emerged from Raihan’s throat was ominous. “That’s my fiancé you two are drooling over.” His fangs flashed as he shot his friends a glare.

They both paled a bit at the warning in his tone before Nessa piped up, smacking him. “They can look and say that she’s hot without wanting to try to steal her from you. It’s a simple fact. She’s hot. Hell, if she was available, I’d probably hit that too. So, chill out.” Nessa’s assessment caused a few mouths to drop in the box. Milo let out a choked sound before clearing his throat a bit too loudly to be casual.

Raihan snorted before refocusing his attention back on the field. He let his gaze linger on Celeste for a few more moments before he took in her opponent. He only sort of remembered the kid that she was facing. He remembered that he’d used a decent number of Flying types. He had a couple of dual Water types in his lineup that had been a large part of why he’d gotten through his own Pokémon. He grinned as the ref called the start of the match. “Now you guys will get to see the real Celeste.”

As she had stepped onto the field for her first-round match, she took in her opponent. He was wearing a Flying-type uniform. Her eyes narrowed as she picked up her first pokeball. She tossed it into the air a couple times while she waited for the ref to call the start to the match. On his signal, she finally, for the first time since coming home to Galar, held nothing back. “Go, Loki!” He exploded from his pokeball and instantly started taunting his opponent.

“Cramorant. Hydro Pump.”

“Dodge and use Thunderbolt.” He easily phased through the incoming Water attack. The Cramorant flipped its head every direction, looking for him, but then the Thunderbolt came out of nowhere, leaving no chance to dodge. It was a one hit KO.

“Sigilyph. Ancient Power.”

“Dark Pulse followed by another Thunderbolt if it’s still standing.” The kid’s Sigilyph was fast, but Loki was faster. It barely held on through the Dark Pulse attack, and then quickly fell to his Thunderbolt.

Celeste could see the kid starting to sweat now. “Mandibuzz. Dark Pulse.” Her brow rose slightly, but she didn’t bother calling a counterattack, as Loki was already releasing his own Dark Pulse to cancel out the attack. As soon as it ended, he disappeared again, devastating the Flying-type with another Thunderbolt attack. The kid was halfway through his team and the match had barely started. He froze, unprepared for just how powerful Celeste was. She patiently waited as he panicked, finally glancing up at the ref with a raised brow after several minutes passed. When the ref called out to him, the kid fell to his knees. “I forfeit.”

Celeste returned Loki and walked over to the kid. She held out her hand to him, concern on her face now. “You okay?”

He looked up at her, shaking, before he finally took her hand. “Y-yeah. I guess.” She kept a hand on his shoulder as they walked off the field.

Hop was watching from the locker room, and his jaw was still hanging open. He’d never battled Loki or Anubis, and now he understood why she’d never used them in any of their battles before. Sweat ran down his back as he realized that he officially had no chance of winning. When she stepped into the locker room, she caught his eyes and smiled at him before giving him a nod. His name was called for his own battle, and he swallowed before heading out to the pitch.

After she saw to the poor kid that she had apparently traumatized, she turned back to the screen to watch Hop’s first round battle. He did well, but she frowned as she watched, because she could tell that he was rattled. He pulled out a win, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. When he returned to the locker room, she called him over. He sat down next to her with a sigh. “What was that out there? You looked rattled.” When he lowered his gaze, she continued. “Is it from my battle?”

“You and Loki barely did anything, and you trashed half of that kid’s team before he got too scared and gave up.” He hissed, keeping his voice low. “How am I supposed to give you any kind of decent challenge when you guys are so strong?”

“Don’t.” She snapped, frowning. “Don’t compare yourself to the others by how my battles with them go. You’ve gotten a lot stronger since our last battle, right?” He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “Then trust in your team. Trust in yourself. Maybe my first opponent had a Pokémon that could have taken Loki down. We’ll never know now, because he got scared and started to doubt himself and his team. He gave up before finding out if there was a chance.”

“You don’t honestly believe he could have managed to come back and win against you?”

She shrugged. “No. But then, I also don’t doubt my team. Ever. I know what we collectively are capable of. You were able to beat Rai, so you deserve to be here, Hop. Don’t doubt yourself now.” By then the final match of the first round was ending. She clapped him on the shoulder as she stood to head back out to the field. “You better win your next battle. I’m going to be disappointed if you’re not in the final battle with me.”

Back up in the Leader’s box, they were a flurry of discussion about the battles. Raihan had been smirking about Celeste scaring her opponent into forfeiting, which led Nessa and Melony to yell at him. They had all made various comments about how shaken Hop seemed to be after watching Celeste’s match and how they were worried that he wouldn’t make it as far as he could. Piers finally raised his voice. “Oi, it’s my lil sis and Celeste now. Shut it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't like how they did the semifinals in the game. All of those potential challengers, and you're telling me that only 3 of them got through? I don't buy it Game Freak. Especially when you then go and do all of the Champion Tournaments after you finish the game and there's suddenly all these extra challengers lying around. So!!!! I figured (Very scientifically, of course.) that in any given challenge season, there would be roughly 30-40 challengers. Some of those challengers would be repeat challengers that maybe didn't make it very far their first time around (or more). And out of those challengers, I felt like there would be about 8 challengers that would make it through all of the gyms. (Also this made for a very even bracket for the semifinals.)


	53. Shadows Fall

Celeste had seen her opponent from time to time throughout the challenge. Marnie, she had to keep reminding herself of her name. She was wearing a Dark-type uniform, and Celeste finally realized why she had seen her as often as she had. She was the one that Team Yell had always been so loud about supporting. Then she remembered that Piers had said they were supporting his sister. Her brow twitched, and she anticipated that the Dark Leader probably wasn’t going to be too thrilled when she won. But at the same time, she figured she shouldn’t underestimate her like she had done with Piers. So, she chose her first Pokémon carefully.

As the ref signaled for the start of the match, they were both calling out their Pokémon. “Liepard.”

“Anubis. Aura Sphere.”

“Torment.” Anubis shook his head right before he released his attack. Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she realized that the Liepard had gotten off its attack just before Anubis could. It couldn’t do much more than that though, as it fainted with the hit. Celeste braced for what would come next. “Scrafty. Brick Break.”

“Return. Go Aura.” Her reaction time was right on, and as the attack landed, Aura barely reacted to it, with both of her typing’s making the move barely effective. “Dazzling Gleam.”

Marnie was reaching for her pokeball before the attack hit, but she wasn’t nearly as fast as Celeste had been. Aura’s Dazzling Gleam landed and devastated her Scrafty. “Toxicroak. Use Toxic and then Venoshock.”

“Use Psychic. Then Hyper Beam if it’s still standing.” She staggered under the first of the Poison attacks, countering with Psychic before the second could hit. Toxicroak managed to hold on through the extremely effective move and hit Aura hard with the Venoshock move. She was barely holding on when she launched her Hyper Beam, but then quickly fell to the effects of the poison afterward.

“Morpeko.”

“Apollo.”

“Torment. Then Spark.”

“Earthquake.” She could see the Torment take effect before the ground in the stadium erupted around them. She had to give the little hamster Pokémon credit, because it was still standing when the ground finally settled. “Finish it with Dragon Pulse.” Its Spark attack hit, but Apollo brushed the attack off. He then hit the Morpeko at nearly point-blank range and knocked it out.

“Weavile. Icicle Crash and then Ice Punch.”

“Earthquake!” She knew the Weavile would be too fast for Apollo to get his attack off before the first attack hit. He staggered but managed to get the Earthquake off before he was hit by the second Ice attack. The Earthquake attack did decent damage, but the pair of Ice attacks was too much for him. “Anubis. Meteor Mash.”

“Dodge it and use Dark Pulse.” The Weavile was fast enough that Anubis only landed a glancing blow. It staggered enough that Anubis was able to capitalize, utilizing Close Combat before it could recover to attack. The pair of super effective attacks took it down.

Marnie pulled out her last Pokémon, Dynamaxing it. “Grimmsnarl”

Celeste recalled Anubis to Dynamax him as well. He’d be at a disadvantage against the dual Fairy type, but she trusted him enough to see the battle to the end. When he emerged in his Dynamaxed form for the first time, Celeste grinned. He radiated power, even more so than whenever he Mega-evolved. “Max Steelspike!”

“Max Starfall!”

The Fairy attack did significant damage, and Anubis staggered with the hit, but Marnie’s Grimmsnarl likewise suffered from his own attack. Celeste was quick to call out. “Again!”

“Max Knuckle!” Celeste had to give Marnie credit, switching to a Fighting-type attack was going to do a lot more damage against Anubis’s Steel typing, more than even the Fairy attack could do. But even with the change in tactics, it was too little too late. Marnie’s Grimmsnarl fainted in an explosion of Dynamax energy. Anubis managed to hold on long enough for the ref to call it before fainting as well.

She was certainly impressed with the kid, given a few more years, and she would likely pose a serious threat to Celeste and her team. She met her in the center of the pitch and offered her hand. When Marnie shook it, Celeste smiled. “You did a great job. I’m glad I didn’t underestimate you, or that battle could have gone differently.”

“Ya think so?”

Celeste nodded. “For sure. After battling your brother, I knew better than to underestimate you. Even so, you managed to down half my team. That’s quite an accomplishment.” They made for the locker room as they continued to chat. She quickly got her team tended to so she could watch Hop’s next battle. She was relieved when it looked like he had calmed down from the previous round. He seemed to be using his head more and was making smart calls that would have made both her and Leon proud. She sighed a bit when she realized that he was still starting his battles the same, though. It made him predictable. When he finally won, she continued to sit there as he headed back to the locker room. They were going to give him time to recover his team before they would battle. She nodded to him when he walked in, a soft smile gracing her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, another note about all of the battles between now and the end of the story. Game Freak really did us dirty when they made everyone's semifinals and finals teams. WHY IS IT THAT LEON IS LITERALLY THE ONLY OPPONENT THAT HAS A FULL TEAM OF 6???? This does not make any sense that you wouldn't have a full team at that level of competition. Consequently, in several cases, I've had to go through and find a decent addition to many of the teams of anyone that may be featured in a battle. I had to do this with Marnie in this chapter, and will have to do it again with most of the Gym Leaders through the finals. Hop at least had enough Pokémon that I could pick through what he had used throughout the story to round out his team. A couple of the Gym Leaders had some variations on their teams depending on the version of the game, so that helped a bit. But if you're looking at some of the teams and thinking that they don't exactly match up with what you'll find on Bulbapedia and other helpful sites, yeah, that's why.


	54. A Worthy Opponent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! The last part of the semifinals!
> 
> Also....WOOO!!! Over 6000 hits guys!!! What even??? This is amazing!! 💖💖💖💖💖

Once he was ready, she stepped up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You ready for this, Hop?”

He swallowed, nerves making a resurgence. “I think so.”

She smirked. “Hey. No matter what happens out there, I’m proud of you. And I can guarantee that Lee is too. Just remember what I said. Believe in your team and in yourself.” With that, they were given the signal. She pulled her hand off of his shoulder and walked into the stadium once more.

About the time Hop and Celeste were walking onto the pitch, Leon finally showed up at the Leader’s box, drawing a series of eyeroll’s and groans from the various Gym Leaders. Raihan simply sighed as he made room for his best friend. “I worry about you sometimes. You know that, right?”

Leon was sheepish as he responded. “I swear it’s better than it used to be.”

Raihan shook his head. “No, it’s not. You missed all of the semifinals. I didn’t think you were going to show for this last match. You would think, considering your siblings are the top contenders, that you would manage to show up someplace without getting lost. For once.”

“But I…”

Raihan punched him in the shoulder. “No buts, man. Not this time. I’m not going to protect you from your sister when she finds out you missed all but this final match.” He growled as he finished. He knew Celeste was going to be pissed as hell at Leon for being so late.

Down on the pitch, Hop and Celeste were taking their places, each reaching for their first pokeballs. “Go Juno.”

“Dubwool. Cotton Guard then Double Kick.”

“Burn through it with Overheat and counter with Focus Blast.” The Fire attack burned through the guard that Dubwool had set up to boost its defense. It landed its attack square on, doing a decent amount of damage to her Cinderace. She was impressed by how much Hop’s Dubwool had improved over the last couple of months since she had last battled him. His strategy was already vastly improved from their last battle as well.

As Juno was connecting with her Focus Blast attack, Hop was calling out another set of moves. “Cotton Guard again. Then Double Edge.”

“Pyro Ball to weaken it’s defenses. Then hit it with another Focus Blast.” She was able to get the Fire attack off, but was a fraction too slow to fully dodge the coming attack. Even a grazing blow did significant damage to the rabbit Pokémon. Dubwool flinched as it recoiled from its reckless attack, and then fainted when it was hit again by the Fighting-type move. Celeste quickly considered her options as she glanced at Juno while Hop reached for his next pokeball. Her starter was breathing hard and shaking a bit. She didn’t have much left to give.

She knew she had other options when it came to finishing the battle, so she chose to leave her on the field. She wasn’t disappointed. “Cramorant. Hydro Pump.”

“Dodge it!” She called out, but Juno was too tired and took the full force of the Water attack. She recalled Juno and reached for her next pokeball, a smirk coming to her lips. “Loki. Thunderbolt.”

Nobody saw Loki actually manifest from his pokeball. He disappeared as soon as he emerged. They only saw the lightning strike the dual Water and Flying type, knocking it out with one hit. He then appeared right in front of Celeste, bouncing back and forth as he wiggled his tongue at Hop and pulled at an eye. She stood there, watching silently as her little brother considered his next move carefully.

Up in the box, Raihan sighed as they watched Hop hesitate. “He’s panicking. It’s over.”

Leon shot him a glare before turning his gaze back to the field, frowning. “It’s not over yet. He’s actually thinking things through for once. Loki is a monster, and Hop knows it. He knows he’s going to have to pull something out of his hat to take control of the battle again.”

Raihan raised a brow. “Again? He really wasn’t in control to begin with. He was off to a good start, but you don’t consider the battle under your control until you’ve got your opponent on the ropes. Which he never did.”

“He did take down Juno though. That Cinderace is tough.” Milo added, remembering how powerful it had been as just a Scorbunny.

Raihan shrugged. “Yeah, and then she turned around and pulled Loki out and absolutely destroyed his Cramorant. I doubt he’s got a Pokémon that can counter Loki.”

They all fell silent as Hop finally reached for his next Pokémon.

While she waited for Hop to think things through, she ran through the Pokémon she had seen him use, in her head. She knew that really the main Pokémon that would be a potential threat would be if he had his Trevenant back in his roster. Everything else that she had seen him use, while capable of utilizing moves effective against Loki, were unlikely to be any kind of match against him. Her eyes narrowed as Hop finally reached for his next pokeball. “Rillaboom. Brutal Swing then Drum Beating.”

“Dodge it and use Sludge Bomb.” The Dark attack missed by a wide margin. As Loki closed in on Rillaboom, it started playing its drum. It staggered a bit under the hit of Loki’s Sludge Bomb, but continued beating its drum, watching Loki closely. As Loki retreated, roots launched up out of the ground, surprising the trickster Pokémon and drawing a menacing scowl from him. “Keep moving, it has to be the drum. Hit it with a combo of Sludge Bomb and Dark Pulse!”

Each time Loki moved, a root came shooting out of the ground to hit him. He managed to dodge several of them, but many more landed grazing hits, slowly draining his strength. He put his all into his next two attacks and finally brought the gorilla Pokémon down. He came to rest in front of Celeste once more, breathing hard.

“Pincurchin. Discharge.”

“Counter the electricity with Thunderbolt!” Her eyes widened when Loki’s own Electric attack shot straight for the little urchin Pokémon, instead of into the coming field of electricity. She tsked as she realized that it had the Lightning Rod ability. Loki was hit by the Discharge field and finally gave into the damage he had taken. “Apollo. Earthquake.” The Pincurchin went down with one hit, bringing a brief smirk to Celeste’s lips. Her expression quickly turned into a frown when Hop called his next Pokémon.

“Corviknight! Steel Wing followed by Drill Peck!”

“Muddy Water. Then hit it with Dragon Pulse.” Neither of their Pokémon had a distinct advantage over the other. It quickly became a battle of attrition, and while Apollo was a tank, so was Hop’s Corviknight. After what seemed like forever, Apollo finally managed to take down the dual Flying and Steel type. Celeste recalled him, knowing he couldn’t battle any longer. She grabbed her next pokeball and Dynamaxed. “Anubis!”

Hop Dynamaxed his own Pokémon. “Snorlax!”

“Max Knuckle!”

“Max Quake!”

Celeste gritted her teeth as Anubis landed a massive hit against Snorlax. Before he could retreat fully, Snorlax’s own attack hit. Anubis cried out, taking a knee for a moment before he regained his feet. “Max Knuckle again! Put everything into it!”

“Max Quake one more time!”

Anubis was faster, and knowing that everything was on the line, put all of his strength into his attack. The ground beneath him had already started to shake, but before Snorlax could finish his attack, he fell to Anubis. Celeste quickly recalled Anubis, seeing that he was starting to pant with his exertion. As the announcers and crowd went wild, Celeste met Hop in the center of the pitch, she shook his hand, as was expected, before they headed for the locker room. Once they were inside, Celeste clapped a hand to his shoulder. “Good job, bro. That was a proper battle. I know I already said it, but I’m proud of you.”

“I still froze up out there, though.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, for a minute. But you didn’t let it stop you. And you came up with a decent strategy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our little bro has come a long way from when he first set out from Postwick. He managed to take down half of Celeste's team, which is downright respectable. Obviously he was never going to win, but everyone has to be proud of our boy.
> 
> Okay. For realsies though, folks. I know I said this before, but then I was able to power through and get into the semifinals. But now it probably is going to be a little bit before I'm able to post. This week has been a struggle to get anything written. Work has been a bit rough, and I've been super down the last few days. I'm hoping that having the next several days off over Memorial Day will help spark some creative juices to flow again, but we'll see. I hope you all have a lovely holiday and continue to stay safe. ✌✌


	55. The Chairman's Concerns

Celeste and Hop were still talking when Raihan and Leon walked in. Raihan walked over to her and kissed her, a smirk coming to his lips as she flushed lightly. Leon was hugging Hop, ruffling his hair as he cheered on his younger brother. “That was quite a battle, Hop. I’m impressed. You’ve come a long way.”

Hop’s eyes widened with the praise. “You really think so?”

Leon nodded. “I know so. I watched all your battles as you went through the challenge. That battle was the best by far.”

Hop laughed, rubbing his neck. “Yeah, especially compared to that first battle of the semis, right?”

Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she watched her brothers. Lee instantly paled at Hop’s question before glancing over at Raihan over the top of Hop’s head. She caught Raihan giving him a nod out of the corner of her eye and her hand tightened on Raihan’s, drawing a flinch from the Dragon Tamer.

“Yeah, bro. I was a bit worried during that first match. But you really pulled it out against Celeste.”

Hop, for all the tension that was quickly filling the locker room, didn’t seem to notice Leon’s hesitation and he quickly rushed out to change calling out something about Leon treating him to dinner. As soon as the door shut, Celeste let out a growl. “When?”

Leon’s eyes snapped to hers and he paled once more. “What do you mean? When what?”

“When. Did. You. Get. Here?” She had released Raihan’s hand and had her hands on her hips, fury radiating off of her.

Leon held up his hands, taking a step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sis.”

She glared at him before turning toward Raihan. “When did he get here?”

He balked for a moment, glancing at Leon before he sighed. “He finally got here right before your battle with Hop.” At Leon’s look of betrayal, he shrugged. “I told you I wasn’t going to protect you from her.”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW, LEE???” She growled, disbelief and anger battling for dominance in her tone.

Leon flinched. He muttered something that sounded like ‘So much for best friends.’ before quietly answering Celeste. “It’s not like I meant to get lost.”

“YOU LIVE HERE AND BATTLE IN THIS STADIUM ALL THE TIME!” She spat before letting out a long sigh, running her hand over her face. “I don’t really care that you missed my matches. But you should have been here for Hop at least.”

“C’mon, sis. Don’t tell him.” Leon whined. "I really tried to get here on time. I left an hour early even.” Raihan snorted and shook his head as she held her head in her hand. Sensing a chance at forgiveness he continued. “I’ll treat all three of you to dinner tonight to make up for it? Since Hop has already claimed I’m treating him at least.”

Celeste huffed out a sigh. “Fine.”

“Excellent. There’s this great sushi place over by the hotel that all the challengers and Leaders are staying at. I’ll meet you guys there at six? That way you can go shower and change before we eat.”

She waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here so I can get out of my uniform.” Leon skittered out of the locker room as quickly as he could drawing a sigh from Celeste and a chuckle from Raihan.

“I kinda thought you were actually going to skin him.”

She sighed again as she started to change. “I considered it. He’s lucky I love him too much to do much more than yell at him. I just can’t believe that he missed Hop’s other battles. If Hop finds out, he’ll be devastated.”

“Well, like he said, we just don’t tell him.”

She finished pulling on her regular clothes and stuffed her uniform into her bag. “I know. I don’t like it though.” She stepped over to him, wrapping her arm around his waist as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Anyway, let’s get back to the hotel so I can dump my bag. Then we can walk around town for a bit before we go to dinner. They spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around, doing the occasional bit of shopping before they headed to the restaurant Leon had told them about.

Hop was waiting for them out front. His face fell when he realized that Leon wasn’t with them. Celeste almost immediately groaned. “He’s got twenty minutes, then we start without him.” As the twenty minutes came and went, she strode into the restaurant getting a table for four, hoping that Leon would manage to show up at some point. Nearly two hours later, they were finishing up and Leon still hadn’t joined them.

Raihan saw how irritated she was and pulled his wallet out. “My treat tonight, Hop.” Celeste glanced at him and he just shrugged. Leon would definitely owe him one later. As they walked out of the restaurant, Celeste pulled out her phone and tried calling Leon. When it went to voicemail, she sighed. Raihan put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing. “I’m sure he’s fine. It’s Leon, after all.”

Across town, at the top of Rose Tower, Leon felt his phone ring. He flinched as he saw Celeste’s name on caller ID. “Really, Chairman, can’t this wait until after the finals are over tomorrow? I was supposed to meet my family for dinner, and I just got a call from my sister. I assume she’s pissed that I’m not there.”

“I’m afraid not, Leon. There are details that we need to cover before tomorrow.”

Leon sighed as he typed a quick text to Celeste.

They had started to walk back to the hotel when her phone dinged. She glanced at it, surprised to see that Leon had texted her.

_I’m SOOOOOO sorry. I had to meet with the Chairman and he won’t let me go._ 😭

She frowned as she read the message. “Hey Hop? Why don’t you head back to the hotel ahead of us? I just remembered something I need to do.”

Hop shrugged and headed back to the hotel. She could tell he was down from Leon missing dinner after he promised to treat them. Raihan frowned at her look. “What was that all about?”

“Lee just texted me. He’s been in a meeting with the chairman all this time. Where do you think we’d find them?”

Raihan shrugged. “Rose’s office is at Rose Tower, so I’d guess there.”

“Lead the way.” He took her hand and started to wind his way through the streets. Rose Tower was impressive. She remembered having seen it when she first flew into Wyndon when she had returned to Galar. A few staff members tried to stop her, but fell silent when she leveled an icy glare at them. “The chairman rudely kept my brother from dinner with his family. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”

When they stepped into the room, Leon and Rose were standing at the window, overlooking the city. Rose’s voice was exasperated. “Leon. We’ve discussed this a hundred times already. And you still fail to understand what’s at stake? You’re supposed to be our Champion.”

Leon’s voice was surprisingly hard. “I think I understand well enough. What I don’t understand is why we ought to cancel tomorrow’s tournament in order to solve a problem that’s a thousand years away from affecting any of us. What difference is one day going to make? My duty as Champion isn’t this…this madness. It’s to carry out that Championship Match. That’s what Galar wants, what I want. It’s what we’ve all been looking forward to for months.”

Rose shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. You still don’t understand a thing. Look around us, Leon! Look at the Galar region stretched out before us and know that the energy required to keep this brilliant, glittering world alive will be exhausted a millennium from now. The people of Galar today will no longer even exist. What Galar wants today hardly matters.” Celeste frowned at what she was hearing. “The future is more important than just one day! We must act as quickly as we can! We must take action to avert tragedy! So that all can look forward to a better future.”

“In a thousand years!” Leon sighed. “Fine. Look. I understand your concerns, Chairman. And I give you my word that I’ll help you with your plans. Just as soon as tomorrow’s matches are over.”

Celeste cleared her throat then. “Promises like that are dangerous, Lee.” She shot a frown at the chairman. “Especially when it comes to something so dubious sounding.”

“Ah, Miss Celeste. I do apologize for keeping your brother from you this evening. We had some important matters to discuss.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m sure.” Her tone left no illusion that she believed a word the chairman said.

Leon cleared his throat, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. “Anyway, if you’ll excuse us Chairman. And I do hope you’ll watch tomorrow’s matches. They’re sure to be ones for the history books.”

Celeste sent one last glare at the chairman as they all turned to leave the room. Leon was apologetic as they headed back to the hotel. “It’s not your fault this time, Lee. Still, Hop was pretty disappointed. You better go apologize to him before you head to bed.” As they arrived in the lobby, she and Raihan split off and headed to their room, leaving Leon to his own devices before they would meet in the finals the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient everyone! I had to pretty much just put the story away for about a week and work on other projects. And then the couple times I did work on it, I worked more on the finals battles themselves. I finally felt some inspiration to finish hashing out this chapter though. So, enjoy! Updates will probably continue to be a bit irregular as we get to the end of the story. But we're getting there, slowly but surely!


	56. A Fairy-ly Irritating Interruption

She and Raihan arrived at the stadium together the next morning. Celeste let out a small yawn, causing Raihan to raise his brow. “Thought you slept fine last night?”

She shook her head. “Of course, I didn’t. My brain wouldn’t shut off, thinking about all the different battles that are going to happen today. I basically just laid there thinking about different match ups and what I would do for all of my potential match ups today.” She shot him a smirk. “I spent the most time thinking about our battle. Since I know we’ll be in the final battle together.”

He chuckled. “Hell yeah, we will be.” They were getting ready to split to head to the locker rooms. “I’ll see you in the staging room.” He placed a quick kiss against her temple and walked away. She stared after him, admiring the way his pants highlighted his ass before she shook her head and turned to head to the women’s locker room. She changed quickly and headed for the staging room. The only Gym leader that wasn’t there was Opal, as she opted to not participate in the finals, stating that she was getting to old to bother. The rest of the Leaders looked up as she entered, most of them nodding, or sending her a small smile in greeting. She nodded to each of them in turn and sat down next to Raihan, eyes focusing on the screen as they all waited for the Chairman’s opening speech before the finals.

She frowned when Leon appeared on the screen instead. “It probably goes without saying, but hello Galar! I’m your Champion, Leon!”

She glanced at Raihan and murmured to him. “I mean, at least he’s here on time? But I don’t like this. Why would the Chairman miss the finals?”

His own eyes were narrowed sharply. “Don’t know. But I agree. I don’t like it. He never misses his speeches.”

They both refocused on the screen as Leon continued. “The chairman is tied up with some business, so I hope no one minds me stepping in on his behalf.” They could all hear the crowd roar in approval. “The time has come for our finalists to battle it out until only the greatest challenger remains! So, on behalf of the chairman, allow me to say, let the finals matches begin!” The crowd roared again, and Celeste stood. Since there were ten of them competing, the brackets were a bit tricky to fill. Some of them would have to go through an extra battle compared to the others. They had drawn lots the day before to ensure it was fair. Celeste and Raihan had both ended up with the extra battles, sitting on opposite sides of the bracket from each other. Celeste’s first battle would be with Melony, and they would be up first.

She started to head to the pitch as they began to introduce her. “Our first match of the finals features our star challenger of the season. Originally from the Galar region, our challenger spent much of her life in the Kalos region, where she became the Champion at just sixteen years of age. She maintained her title for four years before she suffered the only defeat of her career. She dominated her way through the semifinals to be here. Wearing the number 01, let’s hear it for Celeste!”

She stepped onto the pitch, hand raised to wave as the crowd cheered wildly. She made it to the center, and the announcer had only just said a word into Melony’s introduction when another voice sounded through the stadium. “Wait! You!” She turned to the opposite side of the stadium, eyes narrowing as she spotted Bede stepping onto the pitch. He approached her at the center and, ignoring her, addressed the crowd. “A moment, if I may. Does anyone here even remember me?” Celeste’s brows furrowed as she realized he was wearing the Fairy Gym’s uniform and the implications behind it. “I am Bede, the challenger that was forced to withdraw from the Gym Challenge.” He finally turned to face her. “I have a score to settle with Challenger Celeste.” Her brow rose then. “I know that this is against the rules, but I must ask nonetheless. Let me battle her. I’ll stake my career as a trainer on this battle. If I lose, I’ll retire from being a trainer.” He turned his mic off as the announcers took over, looking to the various officials for guidance.

Celeste made sure her mic was turned off as she hissed at him. “What do you think you’re doing? Staking your entire career on one battle? What is wrong with you?”

“I know this is ridiculous of me.” He conceded. “But I had to say something, do something. Ever since you showed up, everything I’ve done has gone wrong! It was Oleana that asked me to gather wishing stars for the chairman, but then the chairman himself disowned me. And then that strange old bat comes out of nowhere and drags me into a boot camp on Fairy-type Pokémon!” He glared at her. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?! Covered in pink, dealing with quizzes and battles with Fairy-type Pokémon every day!” He gritted his teeth. “And now, here I am, pouring my heart out to you, when I’ve never lost my cool before.”

She shook her head. “If you think losing to me again is going to fix things, you’re wrong. Running away from your career as a trainer? You shouldn’t base that decision off of one battle.” Her face darkened then as her tone turned frigid. “You especially shouldn’t base it off a battle against someone who has a very good reason to absolutely destroy you.” He tilted his head slightly at that. “You were cruel to my little brother. I told him I would absolutely ruin you if I battled you in the semifinals. If they allow this battle, I plan on doing just that.”

Before either of them could say anything else, the announcers were relaying that the officials had approved of the battle. They quickly took their places. Celeste expected that his line up would have changed with Opal’s influence. She definitely didn’t want to start with either of her dragons. She had been planning on starting out with Juno for her battle with Melony, so she decided to stick with her since it wasn’t likely that she would have a major disadvantage against any of the Pokémon that she would expect from a Fairy-type trainer. She picked up the pokeball and let Bede call out his starter first. “Mawile!”

She smirked. “Juno! Pyro Ball followed by Overheat!”

“Sucker Punch followed by Play Rough!” Mawile managed to get the Sucker Punch off first, hitting Juno squarely. The temperature of the stadium rose dramatically as she kicked a fire ball at Mawile before going into her Overheat attack. The intensity of the flames was too much for the Fairy’s dual Steel typing and it quickly fell. “Tsk. Rapidash, use Drill Run.”

“Dodge it with Bounce. Then use Overheat.” Juno leapt up into the air, avoiding what would have been a critical hit.

“Dodge the landing. Dazzling Gleam to keep it off balance, then Drill Run.” Juno landed, missing the landing of the Bounce attack as Rapidash dodged. As Juno started gathering the power behind Overheat, Rapidash let loose its Dazzling Gleam, momentarily blinding the rabbit Pokémon at such close range. Before she could recover, Bede’s Rapidash was hitting her with Drill Run, knocking her out.

She recalled Juno, her eyes narrowing before she let a smirk come to her lips. “Loki.” Her Gengar bounced onto the field, phasing in and out of view as he shifted from corner to corner of the field. He finally settled in front of Celeste, glancing back at her for a moment as he did. As his eyes met hers, she gave a single command, her face turning deadly serious. “Wreck him.” A malicious grin came to his face as he turned back toward Bede and his Rapidash. He disappeared then, malevolent energy filling the stadium around them.

Bede’s eyes widened. He remembered how easily her Gengar had outclassed his previous team. The feeling he was getting from the Pokémon now was absolutely terrifying. What he had shown the last time he had battled was nothing compared to what was happening now. “Rapidash! Use Dazzling Gleam to draw it out and then hit it with Zen Headbutt.”

Celeste crossed her arms, the smirk returning to her face as she simply watched events unfold. Rapidash let loose with its Dazzling Gleam. Without knowing exactly where Loki was within the stadium at any given moment, the attack did nothing against him. A cluster attacks manifested themselves then. Rapidash had nowhere to dodge as it was surrounded with a storm of Sludge Bomb’s and Shadow Ball’s. The cluster attack floated there for a long moment before they crashed into the unicorn Pokémon, nearly instantly knocking it out.

In the staging room, all of the Leader’s were glued to the screen, watching the battle play out. As the malevolent energy filled the stadium, Nessa wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms at the chills. “Just what kind of monster is that Gengar of hers if it can put out that kind of energy?”

Allister poked his way in between the other Leader’s edging closer to the screen, pulling his mask down as he stared at the screen. As the storm of attacks downed Bede’s Rapidash, Gordie let out a whistle. “Holy shit. That was…”

“So cool.” Allister finished for him.

Gordie glanced down at the youngest Gym Leader and sighed. “I was going to say terrifying. But, yeah, I guess it was pretty cool too.” He glanced back at Raihan, who was watching intently, a grin on his face. “You knew that her Pokémon were this strong?”

Raihan grinned. “You bet your ass I did. And so does Leon. He watched all of her televised Kalos matches. There’s a handful of matches that she’d turn one or another of her Pokémon loose on her opponent, not bothering to call any attacks. When she’s holding nothing back, she’s terrifying on the pitch.” He shifted his stance a bit, trying to be casual about it. “It’s sexy as hell.”

Back on the pitch, Bede was just reaching for his next Pokémon. “Sylveon! Use Psyshock and then Shadow Ball as soon as you’ve drawn it out.”

Celeste’s eyes narrowed when the energy Loki was producing faltered for a moment. She figured he had taken a grazing hit. She did have to give Bede a bit of credit, because his persistence with his strategy to overcome Loki would probably work, eventually. She was confident in Loki’s ability to hold out when holding nothing back like he was, though. The Shadow Ball’s that Sylveon launched were met by a set of equally dark spheres as they manifested throughout the arena. Interspersed within Loki’s counterattack were dozens of Sludge Bomb’s. Several of them hit Sylveon square on, staggering it before it was blasted with lightning from a Thunderbolt attack, knocking it out. Celeste glanced around the stadium, taking in the way that Loki’s energy was changing. The amount of effort he was putting out was starting to drain on him.

“Gardevoir. Psychic and Shadow Ball!” The malevolent energy in the stadium faltered before it dissipated completely with the blast of Psychic energy. Celeste tsked as Loki reappeared, looking haggard before taking a hit from Gardevoir’s Shadow Ball.

“Morpheus. Phantom Force, then Steel Wing.” Morpheus disappeared from view almost immediately.

“Counter with Dazzling Gleam.” Celeste grinned when nothing happened with the Dazzling Gleam. When Morpheus then reappeared, landing Phantom Force, followed quickly by Steel Wing, he had popped up directly behind Gardevoir.

Celeste was a bit surprised when Gardevoir remained standing, but was quick to follow up. “Hit it with Steel Wing again.”

“Stop it with Psychic.” Morpheus was too fast for Gardevoir, and it finally fell. “Clefable. Ice Punch!”

“Dodge it and use Steel Wing.” Morpheus flipped away, just catching the edge of Clefable’s attack, letting out a growl at the ice crystals that flashed across his skin. As he turned to make his own attack, Celeste glanced over at Bede. At his smirk, she cursed. “Shit.”

“Moonblast, now!” Morpheus was just landing his attack when Bede called out. He was hit point blank with the Fairy-type attack, taking him out.

She recalled him and selected, what she expected to be, her final Pokémon for the match. “Anubis. Meteor Mash.” He let out a growl and slammed his attack into the Fairy Pokemon, downing it.

Bede reached for his final Pokémon then, Dynamaxing before he released it. “Hatterene.”

She recalled Anubis before Dynamaxing him and sending him right back out to the field. “Max Steelspike!”

“Max Mindstorm!” A swirling mass of psychic energy rose in the arena as massive steel spikes erupted from the ground around Hatterene. As the psychic energy slammed into Anubis, he staggered back a step before quickly releasing a second wave of steel spikes against the dual Psychic and Fairy type. “G-Max Smite.”

Anubis braced against the incoming rush of the Fairy-type attack. It forced him back some, before he was able to push through the attack. “Finish it, Anubis!” Celeste yelled. Without needing further instructions, one last rush of steel spikes slammed into Hatterene, finally knocking it out.

Bede recalled his fallen Pokémon, bowing his head. “I couldn’t win, but at least I was able to show everyone how great Fairy types are.”

The stadium was going nuts. And it was a moment before the announcers started putting together what the crowd was chanting. “It sounds as though the crowd is urging Bede not to give up on his career after that spectacular battle.”

Celeste saw his eyes widen. “But. This wasn’t what I planned. Even if I lost, I was going to use retiring as an excuse to get away from that crazy old lady.” He glared over at her. “Tsk. You just keep messing up my plans.” He then looked around the stadium and sighed. “With everyone cheering me on like this, I guess I have no choice but to continue training as the Fairy-type Gym Leader.”

Celeste approached him finally, holding at her hand. “I still don’t like you. But, I do have respect for how hard you’re working, and how far you’ve come.” As he slowly took her hand, the crowd erupted in cheers. With that, she returned to the locker room to get her team healed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. That title though guys. I'm so not sorry for how bad it is. LOL. 
> 
> I was initially going to split this chapter in two. But then I was feeling really generous and gave you a nice long chapter. I had so much fun taking Bede down a few pegs with this battle, and while he actually gave a fairly decent battle, there was no way I wasn't going to absolutely wreck him with my best Ghost Boi.


	57. Let the Finals Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! A couple things before we get started.
> 
> First off...WOOOOO!!!!! While I've been away, we hit over 7000 hits!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!
> 
> Second....I again apologize that it has taken me so long to get this chapter up. Life has been....interesting. I've had some stuff going on with my family, work has been crazy, and writing has been one of the last things on my mind. I am hoping to be getting back to it, because I have realized how close we are actually getting to the end. Hopefully updates will not be as long in between, but I can't make any promises.
> 
> And finally...I think I mentioned it in the story before, but I had to mess with the finals bracket quite a bit with the inclusion of both versions Gym Leaders. It meant that, including the battle with Bede, and the championship battle with Leon, there would have been 11 battles to write. Which, was very overwhelming to me. So instead, I decided to write battle summaries for any of the battles that Celeste is not in. It means I still have to put a bit of work in, but not the painstaking amount of effort that comes from writing some of Celeste's battles. A perfect example, is that I had previously written the Championship battle waaaaay back early on in writing this fic, but during my brief hiatus, I rewrote the whole thing. It took me 3 days to replan and rewrite the battle, and it tripled in length from what it was originally. So I think you understand why I didn't want to write out all the extra battles. I hope you still enjoy the summaries of the rest of the battles.
> 
> Now, with all that out of the way. Enjoy!

Since Celeste's match had been interrupted, they shifted the battles around a bit, moving Raihan’s battle against Nessa to be first. She took her place as she watched the battle begin. He’d rearranged his team a bit for the finals, switching to a diverse, but fully Dragon based team. She shook her head as she listened to the introductions.

“Now, since our first battle of the finals was interrupted, we’re going to move on to the next battle. Stepping onto the field now, we have the number one beauty in Galar. An accomplished model and a fierce competitor. She’s a master of Water type’s, looking to make a wave in the finals this year. Wearing number 049, it’s Nessa!” Nessa strode onto the pitch, looking as unruffled as ever. Once she took her place, the announcer started up again. “Going against Nessa, he’s a master at manipulating the weather. As the top Gym Leader in the region, he’s the only person that has ever come close to unseating our Undefeated Champion. He’s a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, and our League’s resident Dragon Master. You know him! You love him! Wearing number 241, it’s Raihan!” Celeste could hear the roar of the crowd as he strode onto the field. His phone was already out and circling him, taking any number of selfies that he would post after the battle.

She watched as he pulled out his Goodra first against Nessa’s Goliospod. He used a combination of Dragon Pulse and Sludge Bomb to force the dual Bug and Water type off the field. He grinned when its special ability then forced Nessa’s Pelipper onto the field, triggering a rainstorm with its Drizzle ability. Raihan was quick to use the increase in Thunder’s accuracy in the rain to take out not only Nessa’s Pelipper, but her Barraskewda and Seaking as well. Nessa’s Pokémon were able to get in a couple hits, but it wasn’t until her Toxapex was brought to the field that Raihan’s Goodra was finally taken down. He sent out Flygon next, quickly utilizing Sandstorm followed by Earthquake to take out the dual Water and Poison type. Flygon struggled a bit to finish off Nessa’s Goliospod and was taken down by her Dynamaxed Drednaw. After that, the battle was over when Raihan Dynamaxed Duraludon, taking out her Drednaw with a single hit.

Once Raihan healed up his team, he sat down on the bench next to her as the announcers were introducing the next match. “Taking the field now, we have the youngest of our Gym Leaders. But don’t let his age fool you. He’s a terrifying master of the supernatural, with Ghost’s aplenty. Wearing number 291, it’s Allister!” The shy little boy slowly stepped onto the field as the announcer started to speak again. “Taking him on, is the punk rock king of Galar. He prefers to let his actions and his music do the talking for him. Wearing number 061, it’s Piers!” He stepped onto the field, hands in his pockets, looking terribly put out by even having to be there.

As Allister and Piers were taking the field, Raihan nudged her, nodding up to the screen. “What do you think of this next match?”

She shrugged. “Piers has got the definitive type advantage. But he doesn’t Dynamax, so if Allister can play this right, he can win.” She glanced at him then. “I don’t know if he’s got his Mimikyu with him, though. If he does, then I have no doubt that he could beat Piers.”

Before he could respond, they were starting the match. Allister sent out a Dusknoir, which Piers countered by sending out his Malamar. “That’s a good starter for Piers.” Celeste muttered as she watched. Allister’s Dusknoir was able to disable Malamar’s Foul Play before it was taken out by a combination of Dark-type moves. Allister sent out his Cursola next, immediately using Curse, halving its own health to add in a steady stream of damage against Malamar. “He must not have his Mimikyu with him.” Celeste noted. “It would have been the smart next Pokémon to use against Malamar.” As the battle continued, Malamar took out Cursola with Night Slash before finally falling to the Curse that Cursola had put on it. Piers sent out a Sableye as Allister sent out Chandelure. Piers was quick to utilize Power Gem, keeping with the aggressive tactics he had surprised Celeste with previously, and was able to defeat Allister’s Pokémon easily.

Raihan whistled. “That was really unlucky for Allister.” Allister sent out Polteageist next. He was able to hold out for a bit longer then, utilizing a combination of Protect and Shadow Ball to finally take out Sableye.

Piers sent out his Obstagoon finally, causing Celeste to wince. “That’s going to really hurt Allister. Obstagoon’s normal typing is going to limit the moves he can use.” Polteageist fell then, and Allister sent out Runerigus. He was able to use Disable to block Obstagoon’s use of Throat Chop, and was able to do some decent damage with Earthquake before it finally fell as well. Finally, Allister Dynamaxed his final Pokémon. As his Gengar took the field, he took down Obstagoon with Max Ooze. Piers sent out his Skuntank then. It withstood a couple of hits of Max Darkness before it was able to take down the Dynamaxed Gengar with a couple of rounds of Sucker Punch.

Celeste stood up as Piers and Allister started to leave the pitch. Raihan looked up, a grin on his face. “Try to battle the right person this time.”

She cocked a brow before she finally smirked, patting his cheek. “Don’t be jealous that more people want to battle me than you.”

She turned to walk away as his eyes widened. “Hey!” She laughed as she headed for the door.

She paused at the door, letting Piers and Allister walk in first. Piers walked by first, hands in his pockets, looking bored. When Allister shuffled in behind him, she put a hand on his shoulder. “That was a great battle.”

He looked up at her and slowly pulled his mask down. “But I lost.”

She shrugged. “So what? Give it some more time and more training, and I’m sure you’ll be able to beat him, even with the type disadvantage.”

His eyes widened. “You think so?”

She nodded with a wink. “I know so.” With that, Celeste pulled her hand away and headed back to the pitch, Melony at her side. “Let’s hope we can actually get to have our battle this time.” She sighed.

Melony let out a light giggle. “I know what you mean. That was quite the spectacle, before.” Melony put a hand on her shoulder about midway down the tunnel, pulling her to a stop. “That was sweet, what you said to Allister.”

Celeste shrugged. “He may be a Gym Leader, but he’s still a kid. And I only spoke the truth.”

Melony smiled. “Regardless, as a mother, I appreciate it, even if he’s not mine.” She pulled her hand away and allowed Celeste to continue to lead the way to the pitch.


	58. Ice-ing the Competition

They called Celeste out to the pitch first, with much less pomp than they had before. Since Melony’s introduction had been interrupted before, they announced her with all the fanfare that should have been there before. “And now, going against Celeste. She’s known as the Ice Cold Professional for her strict training regimens. She’s a mother of five and one of our most senior Gym Leaders! Wearing number 361, let’s hear it for Melony!”

Once Celeste took her position, she looked across at Melony, her eyes narrowing. She expected Melony to have Lapras in her line-up, which would cause problems for Juno. Her thoughts raced through strategy. _‘If I were Melony, I’d expect me to start with Juno like I did for our last battle, especially after starting with her against Bede. Which means I’d start with Lapras. But then she probably realizes that I’d think that, which means she probably won’t actually start with Lapras. But then, she’s got Pokémon I haven’t seen. Which means the best start, would be…’_ She finally reached for her fist pokeball, nodding to the ref that she was ready. Melony selected her own pokeball and also nodded. At the ref’s signal, they both called out their starters. “Let’s do it, Anubis!”

“Mamoswine! Earthquake!”

Celeste smiled, relieved she hadn’t started with Juno. “Combo Aura Sphere and Meteor Mash before it can attack!” Anubis launched his Aura Sphere into Mamoswine, but before he could land his next attack, Mamoswine managed to get its own attack off. As fissures split the ground, Anubis staggered, taking a knee. As the shaking stopped, he growled, jumping back to his feet and slamming into Mamoswine with Meteor Mash. The mammoth Pokémon was barely holding on.

“Earthquake again!”

“Aura Sphere!” Celeste and Melony called out their attacks at the same time, but Anubis was faster, finally taking down the mammoth Pokémon.

“Darmantian! Flare Blitz!”

Celeste’s eyes widened for a moment before she was calling out. “Close Combat!” She was a hair too slow calling her move, and Anubis took the full brunt of the powerful Fire-attack. He was still standing, but another hit like that would do him in. He retaliated with the flurry of blows that made up Close Combat. That combined with the recoil that Darmantian felt from the reckless Fire attack did a massive amount of damage to the Ice-type, but Celeste had a bad feeling.

Before Anubis could fall back, Melony was calling out her next move. “Flare Blitz again!” Anubis was still too close and finally went down. The recoil of the attack took Darmantian out at the same time. Both trainers reached for their next Pokémon. “Eiscue!”

“Juno!”

“Surf!”

“Bounce and then use Overheat on the landing!” Juno avoided the rush of water, quickly taking out the penguin Pokémon. The rabbit Pokémon retreated, waiting to see what Pokémon Melony would reach for next. Celeste grimaced when Melony started to Dynamax her next Pokémon. “Juno, return!”

“It’s time to Dynamax! Lapras!”

“Loki! Thunderbolt!”

“Max Hailstorm!”

Celeste tsked as Loki’s Thunderbolt did minimal damage to the Dynamaxed Pokémon. In return, the Dynamax attack filled the entire pitch, giving Loki no place to hide to avoid the attack. A menacing scowl came to his face as hail continued to fall after the attack ended. “Hit it with Thunderbolt again!”

“Max Hailstorm!”

The difference in power between Lapras’s normal form and its Dynamaxed form was making it difficult to overcome the dual Ice and Water type, even with an effective move. Meanwhile, Loki was continuing to take damage. “Again!”

“Again!” Both trainers called out at the same time Lapras seemed to be hanging on, just barely, when its Dynamax finally ended and it returned to normal size.

Loki was also struggling with the constant onslaught of hail he was facing. “Hit it one more time!”

“Life Dew!”

Loki managed to land the final Thunderbolt that would bring Lapras down. As he returned to Celeste’s side, he was breathing hard, constantly being buffeted by the hail. “Return.” She grabbed Juno’s pokeball again, this time Dynamaxing the rabbit Pokémon. “Juno! Dynamax!”

“Mr. Rime! Psychic!”

“Max Flare!” The pillar of flames that Juno launched immediately ended the hailstorm that had been falling. It was diverted slightly by the Psychic attack, but still overwhelmed and knocked out Melony’s Pokémon.

“Frosmoth! Hurricaine!”

“Finish this with another Max Flare!” The dual Bug and Ice-type had no chance and also quickly fell to the Fire-type attack.

Melony met her in the center of the pitch to shake hands. “That was well done, dear. I hate to say it, but I never stood a chance against you. I hope those boys know what they’re getting into.”

Celeste grinned. “I think they’re starting to get the idea.” Celeste released her hand, and they both headed back to the staging room to watch the next match.

As Celeste walked back into the staging area, Raihan shot her a cheeky grin. “Nice job battling the right person, babe.”

He held up a hand as he walked toward her. She smacked it with her own in a high five. “Shut it, you.” She rolled her eyes as she shook her head at his teasing. When she sat down next to Raihan, he threw his arm over her shoulders, both of their gazes fixed on the screen as they watched Kabu and Gordie take the field.

"Think Kabu will be able to pull this one out?” He asked her quietly, distracting her from the introductions the announcer’s made for the two Gym Leader’s.

She shook her head. “No. He’s at too much of a disadvantage. I suppose there’s a faint possibility, but it’s a stretch. I think Gordie’s got this in the bag.” She glanced at him. “Why? Do you think he’ll win?”

He shrugged. “Not really. Just thought you might see something I don’t.”

They both returned their attention to the screen as the Leader’s were calling out their first Pokémon. Gordie started out with his Shuckle against Kabu’s Torkoal. Both took a more strategic path to inhibit each other’s teams with area effects like Stealth Rock and Sticky Web. Any Pokémon that took the field on either side after the starting pair would immediately take damage, and Kabu’s Pokémon would take a hit to their speed from the gooey material lining the field. They exchanged a few moves back and forth before Kabu’s Torkoal finally fell. He sent out his Arcanine next and took out Gordie’s Shuckle with Iron Head. Gordie sent out his Barbacle next. “If Gordie’s Barbacle can hold out against Arcanine’s speed, Kabu will have a hard time recovering from there.” Celeste murmured.

Gordie capitalized on Kabu’s reliance on speed with his Arcanine. His Barbacle was releasing attacks at point blank range. It was taking some damage, but Arcanine simply didn’t have the right move set to take it down. As soon as his Arcanine was down, Kabu sent out his Ninetales, taking out Barbacle with Solar Beam, the Grass-type move being doubly effective against Barbacle’s dual Water and Rock typing. Gordie countered with Stonjourner and used a combination of Rock Tomb and Earth Power. Ninetales managed to get off another Solar Beam before it fell to the onslaught. It damaged the Rock-type, but it was still standing strong. Kabu sent out Chandelure and quickly knocked out Stonjourner with Energy Ball.

As Gordie sent out his Tyranitar, Raihan whistled. “This is closer than I thought it would be.”

Celeste’s eyes narrowed as Chandelure staggered with being hit by a Crunch attack before launching another Energy Ball. “It is. They’ve both broadened the moves their Pokémon are using. Probably to combat the potential disadvantages they could face in the finals. The biggest threat to both of them, before you take me or Lee into account, was Nessa with her Water types.” She watched as Tyranitar stumbled before finally taking out Chandelure. “Perhaps I underestimated Kabu a bit.”

Raihan laughed. “You should stop doing that, you know.” She tilted her head at him as Kabu called out Salazzle next. “Underestimating people, I mean.”

She tsked as she refocused on the match. Salazzle was able to capitalize on the damage Chandelure had done, as well as its superior speed, to finish of Tyranitar. Gordie sent out Onix next. Onix was even more of a tank than Tyranitar had been, taking several hits without noticeably slowing down. With a couple of rounds of Earthquake, Salazzle was down. Kabu quickly Dynamaxed his last Pokémon, his Centiskorch. With a round of Max Overgrowth, Onix was down. Gordie Dynamaxed his Coalossal. It was hit immediately with G-Max Centriferno, which did little to damage the dual Rock and Fire type. Gordie quickly countered with G-Max Volcalith. It took a second round to finish out the Centiskorch, but the battle was finally over, with Gordie as the winner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shall not continue to apologize for my terribly wonderful pun titles. 
> 
> Okay. So, by my count, we should have 3 chapters left in the finals. I'm hoping to work on cranking some battles out for you guys, but....oof. I did get the last battle of the finals written. Since we all know at this point that it's going to be Raihan and Celeste, let me just say....holy monster of a chapter and monster of a battle. GET EXCITED! That battle will be the Clash of the Titans of this fic. Maybe even more so than the battle with Leon. And it is even longer than the battle with Leon, even after all the revamping I did with it. The next two chapters will still be of equal quality with what I have been writing, but whoooo boy. (I may be trying to hype you guys up a bit. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ )


	59. A Cut Above the Grass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO!!! 8000 hits and counting!!! Thanks everyone!!

As Gordie and Kabu returned to the staging area, Raihan and Bea both stood to leave. They introduced Raihan first. Just like they had done for her battle, since Raihan had already been through a battle, they provided less fanfare for his entrance, though she had to snort at the amount of cheering he received as he walked onto the pitch. Then the announcer took back over. “And now, facing Raihan! She’s Galar’s Karate Prodigy! With her mastery of Fighting types, she can crush nearly any competition. Wearing number 193! Let’s hear it for Bea!” Celeste leaned forward on the bench she had sat down on, eager to see how Bea would try to combat Raihan’s team. She also hoped she would get to see more of his team than what he had used against Nessa.

Raihan started with Flygon against Bea’s Falinks. Raihan, of course, started out by summoning a sandstorm. Flygon would certainly have the advantage in visibility and maneuverability compared to Bea’s team, especially this first matchup, but neither of them really had an advantage or disadvantage when it came to typing. After a few well-placed hits with Dragon Claw and Earthquake, Falinks was down. Bea sent out her Grapploct next and immediately blasted Flygon with a couple blasts of Liquidation. She managed to negate some of the damage that Flygon was trying to do in return by utilizing Detect, but Flygon’s speed was too much for the octopus Pokémon to take. She could see that Flygon was starting to get tired. Its wing speed was slowing down, and he wasn’t staying nearly as high in the air. Celeste figured he would maybe only last one more round.

Bea sent out her Hawlucha next. His secondary Flying typing meant that Earthquake would no longer be effective in the battle. Raihan refreshed the sandstorm that was starting to wane and got in a good hit with Dragon Claw before Flygon fell to a well-placed High Jump Kick. Raihan grinned ferally when he sent out his next Pokémon, Drampa.

‘ _What the hell are you thinking, Rai? Drampa’s got a secondary Normal typing. It’ll be weak against Bea’s fighting types.’_ Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out Raihan’s strategy. It seemed like a bad move to pull Drampa to the field. She remembered him mentioning that he had one, but she didn’t think he was a battle-ready Pokémon.

Drampa was much slower than Hawlucha, and Bea was quick to try to take advantage of the situation with a combination of Poison Jab and Flying Press. Raihan countered the first attack with Steel Wing, waiting until the last moment to call the attack, to ensure that Hawlucha couldn’t dodge. He then capitalized with a few point-blank Dragon Pulses to end the fight. Bea sent out her Pangoro then, and Raihan grinned in victory as he called for a combination of Fly and Play Rough. Celeste’s eyes widened when the Dragon pulled out a Fairy-type move, easily knocking out Bea’s Pangoro. She sent out her Sirfetch’d next, only to have it quickly defeated by the same combination of moves. She moved to Dynamax her Machamp to finish out the battle. Raihan quickly Dynamaxed Drampa as well, taking out Machamp with Max Starfall to finish the battle.

They were already calling for Celeste and Milo to start making their way to the pitch, so all Celeste could do was exchange a high-five and a smirk with Raihan as they passed each other in the tunnel. Milo let out a sigh as he watched them.

One of Celeste’s brows quirked up at his sigh. “Something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No. You two are just too much sometimes.” She let out a short laugh in response.

Celeste made her way onto the pitch first. As she took her position, she turned to face the entryway expectantly. “And now, going against Celeste. He’s the first obstacle that all of our challenger’s face. He’s the regions premier Grass-type expert. Many of you know him as the ‘Fighting Farmer’. Wearing number 831, it’s Milo!”

Celeste watched him step onto the pitch, waving to the crowd with a smile on his face. When he took his place opposite of her in the center of the field, she shot him a smirk. “Don’t worry, Milo. I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible.”

“I don’t plan on making it easy for you, Celeste.” He nodded to her before turning to take his spot.

She reached for her first pokeball, her face showing every ounce of confidence that she felt. At the ref’s signal, she called out without any hesitation. “Go, Morpheus!”

“Let’s go, Ludicolo!”

She smirked as she looked at Milo's Ludicolo. "Morpheus." She called out. He flicked his tail in response and glanced over his shoulder at her, not wanting to fully turn his back on his opponent. "What do you think about taking on his Ludicolo on your own?" He tilted his head slightly in response and she grinned. "It's what marks you at that next level, just like Loki and Anubis. I think you're ready, don't you? And how about this? If you do super well, I'll get you a whole extra helping of Sitrus berries."

He finally let out a trill in response, turning his focus back to Ludicolo. Milo frowned at her across the field. "Are you really going to experiment in the middle of the finals?"

She shot him a feral smile. "In a battle that I know I'm going to win? Absolutely. I'm not stupid enough to experiment when it comes down to the battles with Rai or Lee, but I see nothing wrong with trying something new otherwise. Nothing personal, Milo, but this battle was decided as soon as I beat Melony."

Milo's eyes narrowed as he put his hands on his hips. "Alright then. I guess we should get the show on the road. Ludicolo! Start with Zen Headbutt!"

Celeste widened her stance and crossed her arms before uttering a single command. "Go." With that single word, Morpheus disappeared, dodging Ludicolo's attack with Phantom Force, slamming into the dual Water and Grass type. As soon as he landed his attack, he was using Fly, quickly gaining altitude in the stadium.

Milo was already grimacing. "Use Waterfall and then Seed Bomb!" Ludicolo created a massive tower of water, using it to rise up to Morpheus's level before launching a barrage of explosive seeds at him. Celeste's eyes narrowed expectantly as Morpheus dodged the seeds, shifting into Steel Wing to knock Ludicolo down to the ground, following up with the end of Fly. Ludicolo struggled to rise to his feet, breathing hard. Morpheus was still practically untouched, and he let out a growl before finally taking Ludicolo down with Dragon Rush.

Milo recalled Ludicolo with a frown and reached for his next Pokémon. "Let's go, Shiftry!"

Morpheus glanced back at Celeste, as if to ask if he should continue without her. She nodded. "Keep going, bud, you're doing great."

"Leaf Blade!" As Milo called out the first attack, Morpheus prepared Steel Wing to counter. Shiftry hadn't fully committed to his own attack and Milo called out again. "Use Sucker Punch instead!"

Celeste frowned as the attack connected, drawing a growl from Morpheus. He recovered and used Fly once more, preparing to combine it with Steel Wing.

"Counter the hit with Leaf Blade!" Shiftry had no way to counter Fly, but Milo at least had a way to reduce the damage that he took by using Leaf Blade to counter. As Morhpeus landed the hit, Shiftry staggered, but managed to remain standing. Morpheus phased out, preparing to use Phantom Force. Celeste knew it was a mistake, but she allowed him to make it anyway. Milo was quick to capitalize. "Sucker Punch again!" Shiftry turned, landing another critical hit with the Dark-type move. Morpheus fell back then, shaking himself off. Celeste eyed him critically, coming to the conclusion that he'd only be able to take one more effective hit like that. Now that he had taken a couple of hits, he was losing some of the focus and control that he'd had before. He didn't yet have the experience to handle it without Celeste keeping him in line. He shifted slightly, preparing to use Dragon Rush when Milo called out again. "Sucker Punch!" Morpheus took the hit and finally fell.

Celeste recalled him with a smile. "Good job. We've got a few things to work on after the season is over, but that was great." She selected her next pokeball then, a confident smirk coming to her lips. "Juno. Pyro Ball. Then Overheat if it's still standing."

"Sucker Punch." Even with the Dark-type move landing first, Juno was barely fazed, and easily took out Shiftry with the combination of Fire attacks. "Bellossom! Sludge Bomb!"

"Dodge it and use the same combination."

"Moonblast!" Celeste was surprised when Bellossom withstood the Pyro Ball attack. It managed to land a grazing blow with Moonblast, though without a definitive type advantage, it didn't do nearly enough against the rabbit Pokémon, and then fell with the follow up Overheat attack. Milo was clearly starting to sweat the match and called out his next Pokémon. "Cherrim! Dazzling Gleam!"

"Dodge it with Bounce! Overheat on the landing!"

"Dazzling Gleam again as it lands!" Juno took the second Dazzling Gleam point blank as she landed. She staggered as Cherrim fainted, falling to a knee before she slowly recovered. Celeste's eyes narrowed, realizing that she was probably going to need to use a third Pokémon to finish out the battle. Milo called out his next Pokémon. "Eldegoss! Hyper Voice!"

Juno staggered and fell back to a knee as the sound waves filled the pitch. "Overheat!" She struggled back to her feet to release the barrage of flames.

"Protect and then use Hyper Voice again!"

Celeste frowned as Eldegoss avoided taking any damage, knocking out Juno with the second Hyper Voice. She reached for her next pokeball. "Go, Loki. Sludge Bomb."

"Protect! Followed by Giga Drain!"

"Keep hitting it with Sludge Bomb." She knew that Milo was trying to keep the battle going as long as he could. She'd used the same strategy ages ago with Apollo. Protect to avoid big hits, and slowly hammer away at the opponent’s health. But there was no way Milo's Grass attacks could do enough damage to Loki in the time that it took for him to take down Eldegoss with a few successful hits with Sludge Bomb. Celeste recalled him then, preparing to Dynamax, since Milo was now down to his last Pokémon.

Milo saw her Dynamax and did the same with the pokeball in his hand. "Let's do it, Flapple! G-Max Tartness!"

"Max Ooze!" Loki brushed off the Grass attack and slammed his own attack into Flapple. Its Dragon typing protected it some, but it still did a lot of damage. Celeste smirked at the smell of victory as she called out. "Again!"

"Max Wyrmwind!"

Loki staggered a bit under the hit, but with a menacing scowl, he straightened, determined to finish the battle. Flapple's massive wings stuttered in their pattern, slowing dramatically. Celeste gave her final command. "Finish it." Loki was quick to release Max Ooze one last time, taking down Flapple in an explosion of Dynamax energy. Loki returned to normal size and slouched a bit, slowly fading out before reappearing at Celeste's side. She placed her hand atop his head. "Good work. I'll get you all healed up shortly." He reached up and touched his pokeball, returning himself. She let a small smile grace her lips at the action. He had taken more damage than she had expected, but he was one of her main Pokémon for a reason. Because he could take it and deal it back even harder. She met Milo in the center of the pitch and shook his hand. He shook his head as they did, clearly disappointed by his overwhelming defeat, before they both headed back to the staging area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm alive!  
> It has been a long month, folks. I can't believe that it's been almost a month since I posted the last chapter. Sorry!! Thank you to all of you that have been so patient with me. I've got a little bit of a break from work, and I'm hoping the creativity and writing gods are on my side so I can make some headway on the end of the story. I have only got one more chapter left to write for the finals, at least. 😁  
> Stay safe everyone! And we'll hopefully be seeing you with another chapter soon! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞


	60. Rock-ing the Competition

She was just stepping into the staging area when they called Raihan and Piers out. Raihan shot her a wink as he walked out. Piers was slower to leave, and she could hear him muttering, trying to figure out which Pokémon to start with, especially after watching Raihan decimate Bea’s team with Drampa. She knew better than to underestimate Piers, but she didn’t really see a good way for him to win. She hurried over to the attendant to get her team healed up. Once she had them back in her hands, she sat down, focusing on the screen as the two Gym Leaders stepped onto the field.

Raihan sent out Drampa first. Piers winced just a hair when he sent out Scrafty. Celeste frowned for a moment, before she realized what Piers had been thinking. She was guessing that he was counting on Raihan starting with Duraludon, to combat the couple of dual Poison types that he had in his roster. Scrafty’s secondary Fighting-type would have given him a leg up against Duraludon’s Steel typing, but his gambit had failed. Raihan’s grin turned feral almost immediately as he easily took out Scrafty with a combination of Fly and Play rough. Piers sent out Skuntank next, immediately trying to poison Drampa with Toxic. Raihan countered with Steel Wing and tried to keep Drampa at a distance by using Dragon Pulse. They went back and forth for several rounds, before Drampa ended up getting poisoned. After another couple of hits, Skuntank went down, but Drampa was struggling to keep going.

Piers sent out Toxtricity next, and with a combination of Overdrive and Sludge Bomb, finally took Drampa down. Raihan sent out Flygon next, quickly summoning a sandstorm and using Earthquake to easily knock out Toxtricity. Piers hesitated for a moment before he sent out Obstagoon. It then became a match of who could move faster, as Flygon would use his speed and the raging sandstorm to dodge Obstagoon’s attacks, and Obstagoon would use Obstruct to block attacks. Obstagoon was fast, and many of the times that Piers had him dodging, he managed to only take grazing hits. Flygon had taken a few hits himself, before Raihan revamped the sandstorm, and landed a series of hits with Dragon Claw, before finishing with Earthquake.

Piers sent out Malamar next, hitting hard with a combination of Psycho Cut and Foul Play, to finally bring Flygon down. Raihan grinned as he Dynamaxed his next Pokémon, sending out Duraludon. Even though Raihan didn’t have a definitive type advantage against Piers’s Malamar, the difference between Duraludon being Dynamaxed, and Malamar not, made up for it. After two rounds of Max Wyrmwind, Malamar went down. Piers finished his lineup with Sableye, opening up with a combination of Foul Play and Shadow Ball. Raihan responded with Max Rockfall. Sableye managed to remain standing through the attack, as Duraludon reverted to his normal size. Raihan finished the battle with a combination of Stone Edge and Dragon Claw.

Piers was quick to leave the pitch, making it back to the staging room before they called out Celeste and Gordie. He shot Celeste a bored look. “Do me a favor and beat the rest of these guys down, yeah? I’m over this show.”

She let out a short laugh. “I’ll do my best. See you around.” He waved over his shoulder before stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaving.

Raihan was slower to leave the pitch, playing the crowd a bit. But even he was finally heading back to the staging room as they finally called Gordie and Celeste out for their match. Celeste gave Raihan a high five as they passed each other just outside of the staging room. Gordie rolled his eyes at their display, a growl in his words. "Honestly, could you two be any more obnoxious?"

She sent him a feral grin. "What? Can't handle the fact that we both know the other is going to win?"

He tsked. "And what's going to happen if you beat me and have to battle him?"

She shrugged. "Then we'll put everything into it and whichever one of us wins, will take Lee down."

His tone was snide. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”

She rounded on him, forcing him to stop. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “What is your problem?”

“You two and Leon are so damned cocky. It’s getting old, and I’m tired of it.”

“We have every right to be confident, Gordie.” He opened his mouth to try to argue, and she cut him off, her tone turning frosty. “And if you don’t like it, then you know what you can do about it? Stop being a little bitch and get stronger and beat us.” She spun and stomped toward the entrance to the pitch.

He stood there for a moment, fumbling for a response, before he let out an agitated sigh. She was doing it again. This time, unintentionally. She was getting in his head and getting him worked up before they battle was even started. Shaking his head, he trotted after her to close the distance, slowing before he hit the pitch.

By then she was stepping onto the pitch. As she took her place across the field from him, she sent him a glare as she reached for her first pokeball. Once Gordie had his first pokeball in hand, the referee called for the start and Celeste called out. "Anubis!"

"Shuckle!"

Anubis let out a low growl as he took in his opponent before glancing back at Celeste. His eyes narrowed as he saw how tense she was. She simply nodded at him and put her hands on her hips. "Take him." With another growl, he started to move, Steel energy starting to glow around his paws.

Gordie's eyes widened as he realized she was letting him handle the battle himself. "Sticky Web! Then use Stealth Rock!"

Celeste's eyes narrowed as he tried to use the same tactic against her that he had used against Kabu. Shuckle was barely getting the webbing laid out around the field when Anubis slammed into him with Meteor Mash, followed immediately by Close Combat. Within a matter of moments, the first round was over.

Gordie grimaced as he recalled Shuckle. He was only able to get part of his plan in play, though, with as tough as he was realizing that Anubis was, he didn't expect that it would make much difference in the end if he had Stealth Rock in play or not. “Tyranitar! Body Press!” Without a word from Celeste, Anubis was dodging and countering with Close Combat. Tyranitar managed to hold on through the first attack. “Force him back with Stone Edge, then use Body Press again!”

Anubis leapt back, jumping from rock to rock as they appeared, avoiding taking any damage. When Tyranitar leapt toward him, he dodged again to the side, turning to slam a pair of Aura Spheres into Tyranitar’s back, taking him down. Celeste let a smirk rise to her lips as she watched Gordie’s expression change as he reached for his third pokeball after recalling Tyranitar. It had gone from a grimace, to a scowl. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to beat us, Gordie.” She called out to him, taunting.

He looked up at her, eyes narrowing as he Dynamaxed the pokeball in his hand. Celeste picked up Anubis’s pokeball in response. “If that’s how it’s going to be. Let’s do it, Anubis.” She recalled him, Dynamaxing before sending him back to the field.

“It’s all or nothing, right here. Coalossal! Max Flare!”

“Counter with Max Wyrmwind!” The attack cut through the center of the blaze that was coming for Anubis, preventing the majority of the attack from hitting him, but the edges still grazed him, singeing his fur. His own attack blasted into Coalossal, staggering him slightly.

“Use Max Quake!”

“Max Knuckle before it can land.” She clenched her jaw when she saw Coalossal remain standing after taking the full brunt of the Max Knuckle. Anubis staggered with its release of Max Quake, falling to a knee.

“Again!”

“Again!” Anubis recovered a hair slow, starting to take the hit before he could move, but managed to still land his hit against Coalossal. Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she watched both Pokémon collapse in an explosion of Dynamax energy. Both trainers recalled their fallen Pokémon, reaching for their next pokeballs.

“Onix!”

“Aura!”

“Use Iron Tail!”

Celeste grinned in victory. “Stop it with Psychic and counter with Magical Leaf.” Aura was able to stop Onix’s tail from hitting her, freezing it in place before blasting it with the Grass attack. She took it a step further by slamming the rock snake into the ground with Psychic before finally releasing it. Onix struggled to rise, before falling back to the ground, unconscious.

“Stonjourner! Rock Tomb!”

“Psychic to stop it, then Magical Leaf. Same as before.” Aura was able to stop all of the boulders that Stonjourner was throwing at her, hurling them back at the Rock type. She followed up with the flurry of leaves that swirled around her opponent.

Gordie was grinding his teeth as he recalled Stonjourner, reaching for his last Pokémon. He was putting it all on the line, but he didn’t see how he’d be able to win at this point. Celeste and her team were just too strong, with bad matchups for him. “Barbacle! Liquidation!”

“Slow it down!” Water was trickier to stop with Psychic than any of the stone-based attacks that Gordie had used up to that point. Celeste knew that Aura wouldn’t be able to stop it all, but if she could at least reduce the damage she took, it would be worth it. The blast of water still hit her, forcing her back, but she easily recovered and, without a word from Celeste, countered with Magical Leaf. With Barbacle’s dual Rock and Water types, the Grass attack was even more effective, quickly taking down the barnacle Pokémon.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Gordie recalled his final Pokémon. He let out a sigh as he hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck before moving to the center of the pitch to shake hands with Celeste. He was quiet until they left the pitch, heading back to the staging area for Celeste to heal her team. As they walked, he spoke up, hesitantly. “I’m sorry about how I acted before the battle. You were right. I have no business getting angry at you for being stronger than me.”

She let out a low chuckle. “It’s fine, Gordie. I know how worked up we all get over some of these battles. I certainly don’t have any hard feelings about it.”

He seemed to relax a bit after she said that, just humming quietly.

As soon as she entered the staging room, she headed over to get her team healed up. It had been a long day of battling, and she was expecting her next battle to be even tougher. Raihan knew her team inside and out, but she hadn’t seen all of his team yet, and that thought made her a bit uneasy. If anyone could beat her, it would definitely be Raihan. She took her team back from the attendant and placed them on her belt before turning to look at Raihan. He sent her a feral grin before standing as they were called to the pitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Hey guys! Guess what??? GUESS WHAT???????
> 
> IT'S DONE!!!!!! FINISHED!!!! COMPLETE!!!! FINITO!!!! FIN!!!
> 
> I have finally finished writing this beast! The battle with Gordie was the last bit that I had to write to finally finish this fic. So now, I just have to finish posing the chapters! I'm so excited! This is the first multi-chapter fic that I have ever finished!!!


	61. A Battle Between Titans

As they walked out, she could hear the announcers going on about their coming match. “And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. On one side of the field, we have our strongest Gym Leader, Raihan! Year after year we’ve seen him tear through the competition to face our Unbeatable Champion. He’s the only man to ever come close to beating him! He’ll be facing his fiancé, Celeste! She’s the former Champion of the Kalos region and defended her title there for four years. She’s decimated the competition this year, making it look easy as she has battled her way through the finals to get to this point. Which one will be the one to win the day and face our Unbeatable Champion? It’s time we found out! Give it up for Raihan and Celeste!” As the crowd went wild, they stepped onto the pitch, each walking straight to their respective places.

Celeste swallowed as she turned to face Raihan on the pitch. His Drampa had wreaked havoc against both Bea and Piers, and she still hadn’t seen his entire lineup for the finals. ‘ _He wouldn’t start with Drampa again. That wouldn’t make any sense. I know he’s got Goodra, Flygon and Duraludon waiting in the wings. He always finishes with Duraludon, so I’ll have to have Anubis waiting for him. He probably expects me to start with Aura, which means he’ll probably start with something to combat her. Arceus, this isn’t going to be nearly as easy as the Gym Battle was.’_ She glanced over at Raihan, seeing him pick up his first pokeball. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from grimacing. ‘ _Stop overthinking this, Celeste. Based on what you know, who has the fewest exploitable weaknesses to what you know he has? Deep breath. Okay, it’s gotta be Loki.’_ Finally, she halted her inner monologue reaching for her pokeball. At the referee’s signal, they both called out their starters.

“Let’s go, Loki!”

Raihan’s face pulled into a grin when he called out his starter, a moment after she called out Loki. “Hydreigon! Let’s do it!”

Her eyes widened at the significant disadvantage she was starting with. She trusted her team, but Raihan had played her, gambling that she would start with Loki, and it had paid off for him. Still, she knew Loki wouldn’t go down without a fight. “Let’s start with Sludge Bomb!”

“Use Zen Headbutt!” Loki was already manifesting his attack, launching the poisoned spheres at Hydreigon.

“Dodge it!” As a few of the Sludge Bombs connected, Hydreigon powered up, an aura surrounding it before it flew toward Loki. He moved just enough to only take a grazing hit, but it was enough. He staggered a few steps after the hit.

“Dark Pulse!”

“Counter with Dark Pulse!” Celeste called, grimacing as she watched the two energy waves cancel each other out. “Thunderbolt!”

“Dodge it with Dragon Rush!”

“Dodge it and use Sludge Bomb again!”

“Dark Pulse!” Raihan was hesitating just enough in his calls to have Loki committing to his attacks. It meant that every attack that his Hydreigon was putting out, was doing damage, and with the type advantage he had, Loki was getting tired. His Hydreigon was taking hits too, but nothing that would cause significant issues yet.

“Dodge it and use Thunderbolt again!” The battle was not starting out in her favor, Raihan had her on the ropes, and the battle was just starting. She knew Loki wouldn’t be able to take many more grazing hits like he was. She grimaced when the Dark Pulse grazed him and caused him to stagger.

“Now! Zen Headbutt!” Raihan grinned as Loki failed to recover quickly enough and was finally taken out of commission. He certainly didn’t think the battle would be easy moving forward, but it was a step in the right direction.

Celeste frowned as she recalled Loki. ‘ _Dammit. C’mon, get it together Celeste. Don’t let him put you on the defensive like that. It’s not your style.’_ She mentally chastised herself for letting Raihan get under her skin with their opening Pokémon. She reached for her next pokeball. “Juno! Use Pyro Ball!

“Dodge it with Dragon Rush!”

“Dodge it and use Focus Blast!”

Raihan tsked when Juno dodged fast enough to completely avoid the Dragon Rush, hitting Hydreigon nearly point blank with Focus Blast. “Use Superpower before it can attack again!”

“Bounce to avoid it and come down with Focus Blast again!” Celeste let out a small sigh of relief when she was finally able to get Raihan’s Hydreigon off the field with the last combination of moves. Her mouth pulled into a tight line, figuring that either Flygon or Goodra would be next. Either one would spell bad news for Juno.

“Let’s go Goodra! Sludge Bomb!”

“Dodge it with Bounce!”

Raihan paused, waiting for Juno to start to come back down to the ground. It was a move he expected at this point, since she’d used it several times, including the times that she’d used it during their Gym battle. He grinned as the rabbit Pokémon finally started to land. “Now! Hydro Pump!” The blast of water hit the Fire-type squarely, sending her flying across the field before she could land her attack against Goodra. When she finally skidded to a stop, she was breathing hard before she finally fell to her knees and then fully to the ground.

She recalled Juno, eyes narrowing as she glared at Raihan across the field. ‘ _He’s baiting me. He knows Aura can wreak havoc with his team, but it’s almost like he’s daring me to use her. So, what’s the trap? What’s going on in that head of yours, babe?’_ She growled to herself, hand hovering over Aura’s pokeball before she changed her mind and reached for a different ball. “Apollo! Dragon Pulse!”

Raihan’s grin turned feral when she called out Apollo. “Counter it with Ice Beam!”

Celeste’s eyes widened. She fell right into his trap again. The Ice Beam started to cut through the powerful purple energy of the Dragon Pulse. Celeste screamed out a pair of commands. “Muddy Water to block! And then use Earthquake!”

Raihan could tell that he had her on the ropes. She’d been on the defensive nearly the entire battle, so far. He was impressed by her recovery and quick thinking to use Ice Beam hitting the wave of water to form a shield from his attacks, even if it did fall almost immediately with the use of Earthquake. It gave him an idea though, since he knew now that she’d be able to have Apollo protect himself again. The field was decently wet already, between his earlier use of Hydro Pump against Juno, and now Apollo’s use of a water-attack. “Use Hydro Pump!”

“Counter it with Muddy Water!” The powerful water attacks clashed in the center of the stadium, pooling a bit around both of the Dragon’s.

He grinned. “Ice Beam! Freeze it in place!”

Celeste realized what he was doing as soon as his Goodra aimed the Ice Beam toward the ground. She knew she wouldn’t be able to recover, she just had to hope she could take down his Goodra at the same time to not have such a steep uphill battle to take control of this match. “Dragon Pulse! Put everything into it!” As he let go with Dragon Pulse, Raihan’s Goodra had finished freezing Apollo in place and was now directing the Ice Beam at him squarely. The Dragon Pulse connected and staggered him, but luck was on Raihan’s side that day, and he managed to stay standing while Apollo fell. She grimaced as she recalled him. As finally reaching for Aura’s pokeball, her face hardened. ‘ _Alright, Rai. Enough is enough. It’s time you got out of my head.’_ She growled the words inside of her head. She was furious with herself for letting the battle get this far out of her control, and she wasn’t about to let Raihan take her chance to challenge Lee.

In the staging room, the rest of the Gym Leader’s were silent. Several of them had their mouths hanging open as they watched what had, to this point, seemed to be a very one-sided match. Gordie actually pulled off his shades as he stared at the screen. “Holy…what is even happening out there?”

Nessa folded her arms before glancing around at the others. “So….that’s actually Celeste out there, right? Not like, some evil clone or something like that, right?”

Melony let out a light sigh. “It’s her, all right. But it’s like she’s overthinking it.”

Allister looked up at Melony. “Miss Melony?” She hummed as she looked down at him. “Do you think Miss Celeste can still win?

She glanced back up at the screen as Celeste was picking up her next pokeball. “I honestly don’t know, sweetie. She’s down half her team while Raihan is still only on his second Pokémon. That’s an awfully big deficit to come back from.” She sent him a wink at his sad look. “But if anyone can do it, she can.”

“I hope she does. I want to see her battle Leon.” He added, staring at the screen intently.

Meanwhile, in his own staging area, Leon was also watching the battle. His face pulled into a frown as he watched her recall Apollo. “C’mon, sis. What are you doing right now?” He muttered to himself. He knew how tough Raihan could be to beat. He’d come close a few times to actually pulling out a win against him, but Celeste was definitely off her game. “I know you can turn this around. So, what are you waiting for?”

Down on the pitch, Raihan’s eyes narrowed. He saw the change in her stance and in her expression. He called out to her. “Are you finally ready to play with the big boys, Princess?”

She let a low growl fill her throat. “I just wanted to give you enough of a handicap, so that this battle would actually be interesting.”

He snorted. “A handicap, huh? While I appreciate such generosity, are you sure you didn’t overdo it a bit?”

“I suppose we’ll just have to find out, now won’t we?” She finally threw the pokeball she’d been holding for several minutes now. “Go! Aura!”

“Sludge Bomb! Hurry!” Raihan called out quickly, before Celeste could call a move.

“Stop it with Psychic and take it down with Dazzling Gleam!” She called out, a fury in her voice that Raihan hadn’t ever heard her use while battling. Before Goodra could manifest all of the poisoned orbs, it froze, unable to move while in the grips of the Psychic attack. Before it could break free, Goodra was hit by the brilliant light of the Fairy-type attack, finally falling.

Raihan recalled his Goodra and considered his next move carefully. He needed to start doing as much consistent damage as he could. He grinned as he realized it was time to make the weather work in his favor. “Go Flygon! It’s time to let loose with Sandstorm! Then use Earthquake!”

“Ignore the sand for now. Use Psychic to stop the ground from shaking, and then pummel it with Dazzling Gleam!”

Flygon managed to withstand the powerful Fairy attack, touching down to land in front of Raihan, his body quivering. Raihan braced himself against the sandstorm that was now raging in the stadium, trying to figure out how to get a hit in on Aura. He knew Flygon wouldn’t be able to take another hit, and so far, Celeste had called out commands that had prevented everything but the sandstorm from affecting the dual Psychic and Fairy type. He knew this part of the battle would be tough. He knew as soon as she had told him that she wanted to get a Hatenna, back before the season began, that this part of the battle would be tough. But he was Leon’s rival for a reason. If he could beat her here, today. He knew he’d be able to beat Leon this year.

He shook himself, refocusing on the battle in front of him. Distance attacks clearly weren’t going to work anymore. It meant he would have to whittle away at her by getting up in her face. “Alright buddy, you need to muster all the speed you can. Use the sandstorm to your advantage. Hit her with Crunch!”

“Get ready.” She murmured to Aura. She had to time it right to be able to avoid having her take any damage. Aura started gathering the energy, basically holding it in a ball in front of her, waiting for Flygon to reveal himself. She reached out, letting out a small cry of frustration when the sandstorm created a block in her ability to sense the stadium around her. Instead, she reached back to her trainer. With her awareness focused so intently on Celeste, she could react even faster, moving just by sensing her trainer’s thoughts shifting. She felt her thoughts stir to relay to release the attack she was holding ready, and she started to release it as the Dragon appeared in front of her, teeth shining with Dark energy, as Celeste called out. “NOW!”

Flygon managed to clamp his jaws onto Aura’s tentacle just before she released the Dazzling Gleam that she had been building up. As the energy slammed into Flygon, knocking him away, she cried out as the impact from her attack pulled his teeth through her tentacle. It was a critical hit, despite the fact that with her Fairy typing, Dark type moves weren’t overly effective anymore. Celeste eyed her closely. She was hoping that Aura would be able to cut through more of Raihan’s team, but after the critical hit, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to last much longer. Of all of her team, Aura’s stamina was the worst.

Raihan paused after he recalled Flygon. Just like that, Celeste had evened out the match. He could tell that Aura was hurting after the hit that Flygon had managed to land. He wanted to save Drampa to go against Morpheus, but he figured he would probably need the move type advantage to get Aura off the field at this point. Reluctantly, he reached for a pokeball. “Drampa! Fly! Use Steel Wing on the landing!”

The wizened dragon quickly disappeared into the air, the last vestiges of the sandstorm still providing him with cover. Celeste growled low in her throat. “Be ready for it with Dazzling Gleam.” She didn’t have to wait long before Drampa was landing his attack. Aura managed to get off part of her attack before she took a devastating hit with his Steel Wing. On top of the critical hit she had taken from Flygon, she couldn’t last and fell. Drampa flinched away with the partial hit he took, landing in front of Raihan as the sandstorm that Flygon had kicked up finally started to die down.

“Morpheus! Dragon Rush!”

“Take it and pummel him with Play Rough as soon as he’s in range!” Raihan called out as soon as Morhpeus disappeared with the start of his attack.

“Retreat with Phantom Force as soon as you hit him!” Morpheus landed the Dragon Rush, staggering Drampa. He took a grazing hit from the other Dragon’s Fairy-type attack before he disappeared, reappearing in front of Celeste with a low growl. “I know, bud. I think he can only take one more hit, though. Same strategy. Let’s go!”

“Try to hit him with Dragon Pulse! If you can’t hit him, then use Play Rough at point blank again!”

“Don’t let him hit you, Morpheus!” She called out as Drampa started to release a few beams of purple energy. Morpheus easily dodged the attacks, before landing his Dragon Rush again. This time, Drampa managed to land a few more hits from his countering Fairy attack. Celeste frowned when Drampa managed to hold on through the additional attack as Morpheus disappeared once more to dodge.

“Use Fly! Get into the air and come down with Play Rough!” Drampa launched himself into the air, but Celeste could see the battle was taking its toll on the elder Dragon. The sandstorm had now fully died down, allowing both trainers to see the entire stadium clearly once more.

“Go! Use Fly to match his altitude and hit him with Dragon Rush one more time!” Morpheus let out a low growl before he disappeared into the air. Celeste could see the two Dragon’s clash in the air before Morpheus reappeared in front of her, breathing hard. Drampa landed hard, before finally collapsing. She could tell that Drampa had managed to get another hit in on Morpheus and hoped he could last a bit longer.

Raihan tsked as he recalled Drampa. He grabbed his second to last pokeball, pausing for just a moment before he finally released his next teammate. “Turtonator! Multi Dragon Pulse!”

“Dodge them! Use Dragon Rush!” Morpheus quickly disappeared, dodging the multiple rounds of Dragon Pulse that Turtonator was peppering the stadium with.

“Overheat and Crunch!” Turtonator started gathering the flames around his body just before Morpheus hit him, burning him as he released the fiery attack. Morpheus retreated before he could land the Crunch attack, flinching as his burns continued to affect him. Raihan pushed the attack before Morpheus could recover. “Crunch!”

“Dodge it with Phantom Force!” Morpheus disappeared before Turtonator could latch his jaws onto him.

“Overheat, now!” The flames surrounded Turtonator as Morpheus was reappearing to land his attack. The hit still did damage to the dual Fire and Dragon type, but not enough to take him out before he finally succumbed to his burns.

Celeste recalled Morpheus, a scowl coming to her face. She had been hoping to avoid using Anubis before Raihan called out Duraludon, but she supposed that the situation at least wasn’t as bad as it had been for the first part of the battle. She reached for her last pokeball, not bothering to Dynamax yet. “Anubis! Finish him with Dragon Pulse!”

“Counter it!”

The two beams of purple energy clashed in the center of the stadium. Both Pokémon continued to maintain the stream of the attack. Celeste finally grinned after a few moments. Raihan’s eyes widened when he saw what she did. Anubis’s attack was slowly pushing back Turtonator’s, before it finally overwhelmed the Dragon and slammed the attack into him, the energy from both of their attacks, exploding in his face. Turtonator fell back, finally collapsing.

Raihan recalled him, reaching for his faithful partner. He looked across the pitch at Celeste and grinned. “It all comes down to this! Let’s do it! Dynamax! Duraludon!”

Celeste recalled Anubis quickly, Dynamaxing his pokeball before releasing him back to the field. He let loose a mighty roar after he rose to his fully Dynamaxed height.

Celeste and Raihan both called out the same attack at the same time, each trying to capitalize on the other’s Steel typing.

“Max Knuckle!”

“Max Knuckle!”

They met in a massive explosion of energy in the center of the stadium. Both Pokémon slid back from the impact. Anubis had a snarl on his lips. Duraludon had his teeth bared. Both Pokémon were scuffed from the impact, but much of the damage was cancelled out. Celeste met Raihan’s eyes across the pitch and narrowed her own as they both called out their next attacks.

“Again!”

“Again!”

Once more the attacks clashed in the center of the arena. Both Pokémon took a bit more damage, but they were evenly matched, and both remained standing strong. Celeste knew that with both Pokémon Dynamaxed, that she couldn’t afford to have Anubis take a direct hit from a Dynamax attack. In the position they were both in, the battle would be over. She elected to take the safer route for her final Dynamax attack and planned to meet Raihan halfway again. They both called out the repeat attacks and for the final time, both attacks lit up the pitch. As the field cleared, both Pokémon reverted to their normal sizes in a flash of energy. Anubis had several small injuries all over, and he was starting to breathe a bit harder, but she was pleased to see that Duraludon was in the same condition.

She let out a low chuckle. “I guess this is where the real battle starts. I’m counting on you, Anubis.” He let out a howl before snarling at Duraludon.

“It’s the same for us, Duraludon, buddy.” Duraludon let out a roar. “Use Stone Edge!”

“Blast through them with Dragon Pulse!” The boulders that manifested, shattered easily under the force of the wave of purple energy that Anubis launched from his paws.

As the beam continued to head for Duraludon, Raihan called out. “Use Iron Head to defend!” Duraludon bent over, aligning himself with the coming beam of energy. His skin shined with Steel energy as he met the attack with Iron Head. The impact forced him to skid back across the field by several feet. “Now! Body Press!”

“Dodge it and use Aura Sphere!” Duraludon was surprisingly fast for his size, and managed to graze Anubis before he could dodge fully. As Duraludon regained his feet from the missed attack, he was hit by the full force of the Aura Sphere, causing him to cry out and stagger back a few steps.

Raihan was gritting his teeth now. Duraludon was starting to shake a bit from the impact he had taken. He would have to make his next couple of moves count if he had any hope of taking Anubis down. “Stone Edge! Then Body Press!”

Celeste could see what he was trying to do. He wanted to use Stone Edge as a cover, to force her to focus her attention on the distraction so he could land a hit. She snarled out her counter. “Short Dragon Pulse! Then use Aura Sphere followed by Close Combat! Finish it!” The short burst of Dragon Pulse blasted through most of the rocks, but not all of them. Anubis leapt forward following the purple energy beam as he released Aura Sphere. As it shattered the last of the boulders, he slammed into Duraludon right behind the boulders, pummeling the Steel Dragon as he tried to slam into Anubis in return.

Raihan could tell that the battle was coming to an end. He made one more, last ditch attempt to turn the tide back into his favor. “Counter with Iron Head and Dragon Claw!” He was hoping that Duraludon would be able to protect himself enough with Iron Head to connect with the Dragon Claw.

“Don’t let it connect! Dragon Pulse at point blank!” She saw the shimmer of Steel energy as Duraludon used Iron Head to protect himself against some of Anubis’s blows, and she saw the glow forming around his claws. But Anubis moved a hair faster and slammed a paw surround in the purple glow of the forming Dragon Pulse into Duraludon’s chest before releasing the wave of energy. Both Pokémon staggered back. Anubis fell to a knee for a moment before he slowly recovered. As he did, Duraludon finally collapsed, signaling the end of the battle.

Raihan recalled Duraludon, shaking his head, but when he met her eyes, he had a smile on his face.

“Challenger Celeste has defeated Leader Raihan! The Challenger endorsed by the Champion himself will have a chance to battle the very man that endorsed her!” The crowd was going nuts at the end of their battle, putting the normal volume of the crowd to shame.

She and Raihan walked to the center of the pitch, but instead of a handshake, Raihan wrapped her up in a hug, spinning around, before setting her down and kissing her. When he released her, her face was red, and all she could do was shake her head at him as she took his hand and walked back to the locker rooms to sort out her team.

“Nervous?” Raihan asked as he leaned against the lockers, watching her.

She glanced over at him, shrugging. “I dunno. Not really, I guess.” She returned her focus to her team. “Like I’ve said before, nobody is unbeatable. My team knows what they need to do, and I’ve got two Champion veterans leading the way. Leon should be the one that is nervous.”

He raised a brow. “Sure you’re not nervous? I mean, after the way our battle started out…” He trailed off, leaving the rest of his question unspoken.

She sighed. “I was overthinking it, Rai. You know my team better than anyone. I wasn’t kidding this morning when I said that I had spent the most time thinking about our battle. I pretty much just got too caught up in my head and trying to counter all of the possibilities without actually managing the battle in front of me.” She chuckled lightly for a moment. “At least we gave the crowd a good show.” He simply let her finish tending to her team in silence after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmkay. So, for as much crap as Celeste gave Gordie about headgames being a big part of battles like this, she sure forgot some of that when it came to battling Raihan this time around. 😁😁
> 
> Seriously though, folks. This battle was a MONSTER to write. I had to make a whole separate document with a lineup of both teams and keep shifting them around, having little mini battles in my head until I came up with the lineup that I ended up sticking with for the chapter. And then writing it. OOF. But in the end, I am proud of this battle, and while I think the coming battle with Leon is a masterpiece, I think this battle was my pièce de résistance. (Not to toot my own horn or anything.)


	62. A Plan Unveiled

She finally stood, meeting his eyes. She had a hard look to them. This wasn’t his fiancé, Celeste. This was the Champion of Kalos, Celeste. The woman who only lost her title because she gave it away. “I won’t be overthinking things against Leon. I already know what I have to do.”

He nodded. “Go get him, babe.”

She nodded once, then turned to head back to the pitch. Leon was already there, waiting for her. As she got closer, he met her eyes and grinned. She allowed a small smile to grace her lips in return. She couldn’t help it, coming from Lee. Straightening, she schooled her face back to the face of a Champion. When she stopped, turning to face him, he spoke. “The tense, still air on the pitch and the exact opposite from the audience, cheering and yelling. They’re both fantastic. Wouldn’t you say?”

She nodded. “But they also are cruel, wanting to see someone lose as much as they want to see one of us win.”

He chuckled. “Of course, out of anyone else, you would understand the best. But I love pushing past that fear of failure. Me and my team giving it everything we’ve got. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, wouldn’t you say, sis?”

She nodded again. “I agree aside from one thing: I don’t know what failure is, so I don’t fear it.”

He nodded. “Alright then, let’s put it to the test, shall we?”

They headed for the opposite ends of the pitch. They were both reaching for their first pokeballs when a change in the monitor caught their attention. It was Chairman Rose. “Hello there, Leon and Celeste! Just letting you know…” Celeste frowned at his tone of voice. “I think it’s time I brought about the Darkest Day. For the sake of Galar’s future, of course. But I’m in a bit of a pickle. The energy released by the Darkest Day is too much for us to contain.”

“No.” Celeste whispered. The ground around them started to shake when a bright column of light burst out of the center of the stadium. The screen changed to show the same thing happening all across Galar.

Rose continued. “I’m sorry it’s come to this. But it’s you who forced my hand, Leon. You refused to listen!”

Leon met Celeste’s eyes across the field. They both ran for the locker room. Raihan was waiting for them. “He was at the power plant; I could tell by the background when he started talking.”

“I’m the Champion. I have to go stop him.”

Celeste stood there for a moment, a pull deep in her chest. She didn’t realize Leon had already left and that Raihan was trying to get her attention. “Babe? Princess, c’mon, snap out of it!” She refocused on him.

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

He frowned. “I need to follow Leon and get to Hammerlocke. What are you doing?”

She met his look. “There’s something I need to do, first. If I’m right, it’s the only way we’re getting through this. Go. I’ll be there soon.”

He pulled her into a kiss. “Be safe.”

“You too.”

They both ran out of the stadium. As she ran, she accessed her Pokémon in storage, quickly pulling out an old friend. “Typhos! We need to head for Postwick!” She climbed atop the Noivern’s back and he let out a cry as he took off into the sky. “Hurry, T. I don’t think time is on our side.” He let out another cry in response and pushed harder. As soon as he hit the ground, she was recalling him and running for the forest. The Slumbering Weald held the answer, it had to. She didn’t slow down as she entered the forest, the feeling in her chest quickly growing. She continued down the path, noticing that there was very little fog this time around, almost as if she was expected. Determined, she continued to run until the path opened up into a small clearing with a lake. She slowed to a stop, breathing hard. There was a stone pedestal and what appeared to be a crumbling memorial. She approached slowly, caution taking over finally.

Before the pedestal, lay a broken sword. It was rusted, but she could make out intricate carvings along the hilt. She swallowed, reaching down to pick it up. As she stood with the hilt, she looked around. Nothing changed in the forest around her. She shook her head, clearing the doubt that was filling her. “No. I’m right about this. I have to be.” Looking around once more, she called out her faithful friend. “We need to get to Hammerlocke, to the stadium. Hurry.” She was thankful for the clearing, so she wouldn’t have to run all the way back through the forest. She looked at the sword in her hand as they flew, before she finally hooked it on her belt. As they landed, she returned her friend and ran inside.

Raihan was inside, working to evacuate the stadium and to protect the city. He saw her and called her name. “Celeste!”

“Rai!”

“We’ve almost got everyone evacuated. Leon went down to the power plant, but that was a while ago now.” He glanced at her hip. “What is that?”

She ran a hand over it, then met his eyes, serious. “The solution.”

He frowned, concern filling his features. “You’re not going down there.”

She held up a hand. “Rai. Don’t. I may not be THE Champion, but I am still A Champion. And if I’m right, I may be the only one that can stop this.” She placed a hand on his cheek, eyes softening. “It’ll all be alright. Trust me.”

“I love you, Princess.”

“I love you too.” Her eyes hardened again. “Now go.”

She took the lift down to the power plant. Inside, she found Rose, standing before what looked like a massive shell, broken into pieces. He turned to face her, hearing her approach. “And what do you plan on doing, former Champion?”

She clenched her fists. “I’m going to stop you, and the Darkest Day.”

He laughed. “There’s nothing to stop now. We’ve already brought about the Darkest Day, or rather, the ultimate Pokémon, Eternatus. I don’t expect you to understand. But I must provide Galar with limitless energy to ensure everlasting prosperity.” She frowned as he started to monologue. “It is my purpose, my duty, my destiny. That’s why we’ve been giving the wishing stars to Eternatus. Surely you remember the red light that caused a ruckus around Hammerlocke. That was all part of our experiments to awaken Eternatus. I can’t let you interfere with my plan to protect the future of Galar!”

“What is it with bad guys and monologuing?” She growled. “If you think you can stop me, you’re welcome to try.”

Rose reached for a pokeball. “I was just thinking that it was time to for us to battle. Go Escavalier!”

“Juno! Pyro Ball!”

“Dodge it and use Drill Run!” The dual Steel and Bug type was far too slow to dodge the incoming attack. Surprisingly, it barely managed to hold on through the extremely effective Fire attack. As it started to make its own attack, Celeste called out a counter.

“Bounce to dodge, then follow up with another Pyro Ball.” Juno easily dodged the attack, taking out Rose’s Escavalier easily.

“Go Perrserker, use Iron Head and Shadow Claw.”

Celeste’s eyes narrowed at Rose’s choice of Pokémon. She remembered that he had a Copperajah as well, that Bede had used a while back. She realized he must have a full Steel-type lineup, which normally would have brought a smirk to her lips, but given the situation they were in, she couldn’t bring herself to smile. “Dodge it, and take it down with Focus Blast and Overheat.”

Juno was quick to wrap herself in flames as she launched toward Perrserker, slamming Focus Blast into it, quickly following up with the release of the Overheat she had been building. Rose tsked as he reached for his next pokeball. “Bronzong, use Rock Tomb followed by Bulldoze.”

“Bounce to dodge, then come down with Overheat.” With Juno’s speed, she was having no trouble dodging any of the attacks that Rose was trying to launch at her. It was one of the downfalls of Steel types. They were certainly tanks, but they usually had terrible speed stats. Anubis was one of the rare ones that had decent speed, but even he had required a large amount of training to reach the speed that he currently had. Between the difference in speed, and Juno’s type advantage, the battle was quickly turning into a short one. She quickly dodged both of Rose’s attacks and came down on Bronzong, finishing it off with Overheat.

“I see I shouldn’t have underestimated you. It’s been a long time since I’ve been at such a disadvantage in battle.” He gave a wry smile as he reached for his next pokeball.

Celeste practically growled at him. “You could always give up, instead of wasting my time.”

“You must know that I have zero intention of giving up. Go Klinklang. Use Wild Charge.”

“Counter with Overheat, then use Pyro Ball.” Juno was able to pull the flames around her in preparation for Overheat as Klinklang hit her. It flinched from its own attack, and then took even more damage from the resulting burns from Overheat. With a quick shot of Pyro Ball, Rose was down to his last two Pokémon.

“Ferrothorn. Gyro Ball.”

“Pyro Ball.” Celeste was getting bored, and she was worried about what was happening with Eternatus. With a couple quick hits, Ferrothorn was down.

Finally, Rose reached for his final pokeball, moving to Dynamax. “I suppose this is it then. Go Copperajah. G-Max Steelsurge.”

Celeste didn’t bother to Dynamax Juno to finish the battle. “Jump from spike to spike as they form. Hit it hard with Focus Blast.” Juno dodged the first of the spikes, quickly jumping from one to another before landing a critical hit against the elephant Pokémon.

“Max Quake!”

As soon as Juno was falling back from landing her first attack, she was using Bounce to dodge the coming Ground attack. Keeping with a typical rhythm, she powered up Overheat as she was making the landing, landing another critical hit and taking down Copperajah.

Rose let out a sigh as he returned his fallen Pokémon. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You are a Champion after all. I think I would have liked to see the battle between you and Leon.” He shrugged. “But it can’t be helped. In order to solve the energy issue, we awakened Eternatus, but we couldn’t control it. And the Champion came to aid us, like a knight in shining armor rescuing a princess.” Her brow ticked at the comment. “I’m sorry. I do so love to make speeches. But I should be able to stop talking now. I think the Champion should have captured Eternatus by now.”

Dread rose in her stomach and she whispered. “No. Lee.” Without waiting for him to finish, she spun heading for the second lift, that would take her to the roof of the stadium. As the lift moved, she pulled out Juno and used a Full Restore on her to make sure she was at one hundred percent, just to be safe. She was just finishing as the lift stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, I kind of struggled to write the battle with Rose. When you pull up all of his pokemon on the pokemon database and look at their stats, their speed stats are atrocious. I mean, I've taken some liberties with some of the stats for the various pokemon through the entirety of this fic, but there was no way I could make THAT much of a change. Overall, Rose's team is just disappointing, especially, as a friend stated, 'for someone who was almost champion at one point'. After I wrote this chapter, I thought about scrapping it and just turning it into a summary, but the more I read it, the more I thought it seemed appropriate for how quickly the battle does actually go against him.
> 
> Also....we have 6 chapters left, my friends.


	63. A Legendary Task

Leon was facing down a huge black Pokémon. Red light sat at its core and rippled along its body. Charizard was out and breathing hard. Leon glanced at her arrival. “You came to help in spite of the danger? It’s been a tough battle, since somehow, it’s preventing my team from Dynamaxing, but I think we’ve really worn it down. If I can just catch it, this will all be over.”

He pulled out an ultra ball as he spoke. Celeste tried to stop him. “No, Lee! It won’t…” Eternatus disappeared into the ball. It rattled once before it exploded. “…work.” She finished in a whisper. Charizard had protected Leon from the explosion, but there was no way he could continue to fight. Celeste stepped forward, slowly.

“Celeste, don’t…”

She held up a hand, eyes never leaving the Legendary Pokémon in front of her. “I can handle this Leon. I think I’m the only one who can, actually.” She picked up one of her pokeballs, determination filling her eyes. “Anubis!” Her Lucario burst forth with a menacing growl. It took one look at its opponent and glanced back at his trainer, almost as if to say ‘Seriously? Again?’. Celeste glanced at her wrist. What Leon had said was true, she wouldn’t be able to Dynamax here. She reached into her shirt, pulling her necklace free. “If we can’t Dynamax, then we’ll do the next best thing. Mega-Evolve!” Bright light surrounded Anubis, linking with the keystone on her necklace. Anubis then reappeared from the light with a roar, taller, more powerful than before.

As they stared down Eternatus, Celeste had a thought. She spoke without turning her focus away from the massive Pokémon before her. “So, Lee? What do you think the typing is on this thing? At first glance I’d probably lean toward Dragon, but you actually battled it already, so…?”

As she trailed off, he quickly responded. “I’d say that’s probably a pretty safe bet. But I don’t think it’s pure Dragon. I couldn’t tell you what the secondary type is, though.”

She nodded, still not looking at him. “We can work with that, though, can’t we, Anubis?” He let out a growl in response to her question. “Alright then. I want you to keep your distance for now. Let’s start out with Dragon Pulse.” As Anubis gathered the purple energy in his paws, Celeste saw a similar energy forming at Eternatus’s mouth, causing her to frown. “Don’t hold back, it’s going to counter!” Both Anubis and Eternatus released their attacks at the same time. Both purple beams of energy met and clashed, before Anubis started to slide backward, just a hair. Celeste had to make a choice then. Leon was directly behind her, and Anubis was directly in front of her. She could see that he was starting to lose the battle between the two Dragon Pulses, but if she told him to move to avoid the hit, it would either hit her, or Leon, if she moved. She gritted her teeth and gave her command. “We don’t have any other option, keep pushing!” After a few more moments, the beam that Eternatus was putting out surged with power, slamming into Anubis and forcing him back and to a knee.

He quickly rose to his feet, glancing back at her. She nodded. “I know, bud.” She stepped off to the side, putting some distance between herself and Anubis before glancing at Leon. “Lee, you gotta move. Anubis had to take that hit, or one of us was going to end up taking it.”

His eyes widened, as if he hadn’t realized that himself, yet. “Shoot, yeah. I see what you mean.” He was moving a bit slow, after being tackled by Charizard in his attempt to protect him from the exploding ultra ball, but he stood and moved closer to the door to the lift.

About the time that Leon was done moving, Eternatus was using Flamethrower. “Dodge it! Alright, something that big won’t be able to beat you when it comes to speed. Keep moving as fast as you can to avoid getting hit. Let’s get some hits in with Aura Sphere and Dragon Pulse. Still keep your distance as much as you can.” Anubis let out a low growl before he started moving. He alternated between bursts of Dragon Pulse and barrages of Aura Sphere. Eternatus managed to land grazing blows a few times, but overall, Anubis was controlling the fight.

Slowly, but surely, she could tell that the massive Pokémon was weakening, before Eternatus let out a roar as it fell to the ground. Leon started to cheer. Celeste frowned before gasping and yelling. “Get back!” Anubis jumped back as there was explosion of red light around Eternatus. It shot up into the sky, the sky turning black as the largest Dynamax storm she had ever seen surrounded them, forcing both Celeste and Leon to the ground. When the light faded, a chill ran down her spine as she climbed to her feet. Its new form was serpentine, unrecognizable from its previous form. She had thought it was huge before, but now it had to easily be three to four times its original size. When it roared at them, she looked to Anubis. “Dragon Pulse!” He moved to gather the energy for the attack, but nothing happened. He tried again, but still nothing. “It must be Eternatus.” She muttered to herself.

Frowning, she glanced at her side. The sword had been pulsing, ever since Eternatus’s second wind had started. “Anubis, fall back a bit.” She said as she reached for the sword. As soon as she grabbed it, she felt the power coming toward them. A brilliant light in the sky shot toward them, landing before her. When the light faded, the Pokémon she had seen in the Slumbering Weald stood before her. “I knew it was you. The Sword Pokémon, Zacian.” She whispered. The massive wolf-like Pokémon howled. The sword in her hand glowed, disappearing with Zacian in a bright light. When the light settled once more, its form had changed, and there was now a massive blade held in its mouth. It glanced back at her, meeting her eye before inclining its head. She nodded, understanding. “Anubis! We’re back in business! Dragon Pulse!”

As Anubis gathered the energy in his palms, the blade in Zacian’s mouth shined with energy, seeming to grow massively in size. Zacian leapt forward, slashing at Eternatus in an explosion of energy, and Anubis was quick to follow up with Dragon Pulse. Eternatus countered with a Max Flare, hitting both Zacian and Anubis, causing both to fall back a few steps before they recovered. Zacian was quicker to recover and attacked again with its massive blade. Anubis hit it again with Dragon Pulse, which even though it was effective, in its current form, Eternatus was barely taking any damage. It was clear that the attacks Zacian was landing were doing more damage at least.

As the battle continued, Celeste was anxious for Eternatus to make its third attack. After all, Dynamax only lasted three rounds of attack in battle, so she was expecting it to revert to its previous form at that point. When it landed its third attack, finally taking out Anubis, she looked up in horror as she reached for Morpheus’s pokeball. Eternatus was retaining its current form. She swallowed as she called out. “Morpheus! Use Dragon Rush, then Phantom Force to retreat as soon as you hit it!”

With a growl, he complied, slamming into Eternatus’s massive form before disappearing from sight and reappearing in front of her. His tail flicked when the legendary Pokémon in front of them barely seemed affected. They continued like this for what seemed like forever. Celeste was forced to eventually recall Morpheus as he was defeated and send out Loki. With a barrage of Shadow Balls, Dark Pulses, and Thunderbolts, they were closing in on the end of the battle.

Finally, Eternatus roared in defeat, reverting to its normal form as it fell to the ground once more. She reached into her bag for the ball she had saved for years now. A Master Ball. Since Eternatus wasn’t disappearing the way Yvetal had, she knew she had to try to catch it. If anything could, it would be the Master Ball. She locked eyes with the downed Pokémon and threw the ball. Eternatus disappeared, and the Master Ball dropped to the ground in its place. She held her breath as the ball rattled once, twice, three times, and finally fell silent with click. She released the breath she had been holding and walked over to retrieve the ball. She stared at it for a long moment before she felt the presence behind her.

Zacian stood there, staring at her. She glanced down at the ball and back to Zacian. “I didn’t know another way to stop it. At least this way, it can sleep, undisturbed, for a very long time.” She slowly placed the ball in her storage box. She met Zacian’s eyes once more. “We would have been in trouble if not for you. Thank you, Zacian.” The sword Pokémon gently inclined his head and stepped closer. Eyes widening, Celeste slowly reached a hand up, allowing the Legendary Pokémon’s head to meet her hand. She slowly rubbed his head, eliciting a rumble of content from the creature before it pulled away. With a howl, it disappeared in another flash of light. Sighing as she returned Loki to his pokeball, she turned to Leon. “Lee?” He met her eyes. Her look was flat. “I told you so.”

He snorted, too tired to laugh. “Yeah, sis, you certainly did.”

She walked over to him, offering him a hand, pulling him back to his feet. They both made for the lift, heading down to the power plant. She left Leon to deal with Rose, as that was still his job as Champion, while she went back up to ground level to find Raihan.

Raihan was a mess. The only thing that was making him keep his composure is the fact that he was in a very public place and had a reputation to protect. Inside, though, he was anything but composed. He’d finished evacuating everyone about the time the huge Dynamax storm erupted at the very top of the stadium. Chills ran down his spine as he let out a breath. “C’mon, Princess.” He muttered. “Come back to me.” When the storm finally broke, he was the first to run back to the stadium. He was just reaching the lift down to the power plant when the door opened, and Celeste stepped out. She barely had a chance to register that he was in front of her before he had her wrapped up in his arms.

She hadn’t been looking when the door opened, and before she could look up, she was wrapped up in a fierce hug. As soon as she realized it was Raihan, she relaxed, returning his embrace. “Take me home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's just one more chapter to go before we hit the epilogue! I will say right now, that no, I don't include catching Zacian, just because I don't think Celeste would think that it's a good idea. She didn't even really want to catch Eternatus. And I know that regardless of which version of the game you play, both Zacian and Zamazenta show up to battle Eternatus, but, yeah. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> Oh, side note for those of you that are super disappointed that we are reaching the end. I *maybe* started to come up with some idea about a second fic that follows after this one. But! It's gonna be a while before anything comes to fruition, because there would be a lot that I would still have to put together in the planing department before I can really start writing much of it. I just wanted to let you know, that there is some thought process occurring. 😁😁


	64. A Champion Falls

Three days later, Celeste was making her way back to Wyndon stadium to finally have her battle against Leon. She went through her routine, making sure her team was in top shape before she was called to the pitch. Leon entered from the opposite side. They met in the middle. The crowd was insane, even louder than they had been days prior. Leon looked around a bit. “My matches are always sold out, but this? I’ve never seen a crowd this wild.” He let a smile come to his face. “Everyone knows what you did. They know you’re the one who stopped Eternatus and saved Galar. A hero, battling alongside the Legendary Pokémon Zacian.” His smile turned into a grin. “I couldn’t dream of a better challenger to increase my winning streak.”

“I have three words for you, Leon.” His brow rose, since she hardly ever called him by his full name. “Bring. It. On.” He gave her a sharp nod before they both turned to take their positions. They both picked up their first pokeballs, both of their faces becoming serious.

“Aegislash!”

“Juno!” She let a small smirk grace her lips at his frown at their opening picks. She internally celebrated the small victory that was Leon being thoroughly predictable by always starting with Aegislash. Even with an advantage, she certainly didn’t think the battle would be easy. Leon had been champion for as long as he had for a reason. “Pyro Ball!”

“King’s Shield!” She expected his opening move. She’d battled against enough trainers with Aegislash in their roster, especially with her four years of training with Wickstrom, that she was almost certain that he would start out with the defensive move. It was a classic tactic. Guard, then switch stance to attack, followed by a quick return to guard. She had even used the same type of tactic herself back when Apollo knew Protect. Her eyes narrowed as she waited for her opening. Plan already in mind. She would have to time it right, though, to not miss her window for attack as Juno’s Pyro Ball glanced off of Aegislash’s shield harmlessly. “Sacred Sword!”

“Bounce, now! Then Overheat on the landing!” She hesitated on her call just a moment, to make sure that Aegislash had committed to its attack. If she called out too soon, Leon would have simply been able to pull it back into defensive stance. Juno sailed above the attack, powering up her Overheat while she was in the air, dealing a substantial hit when she landed.

“Shadow Sneak!”

“Overheat!” Aegislash disappeared from view as Juno wrapped herself in flames, holding the attack until her opponent revealed himself once more. She took a solid hit from the Ghost-type attack but was also able to take out Aegislash with her second Overheat.

She had a pretty good guess which Pokémon Leon would use next and was already forming a counter strategy to meet it. “Inteleon! Snipe Shot!”

“Counter it with Pyro Ball!” The Water-type attack blasted through the center of her own defensive tactic, hitting Juno squarely. She was breathing hard after already having to take damage from her first opponent. “Use Focus Blast!”

“Counter it with Mud Shot, followed by another Snipe Shot!”

Celeste quickly recalled her fallen Cinderace, reaching for one of her oldest partners. “Loki! Thunderbolt!”

“Dodge it and use Dark Pulse!” The chameleon Pokémon barely dodged the Electric-attack, firing off a dark beam of energy at Loki.

“Counter it!” Loki let loose his own Dark Pulse, cancelling out the attack.

“Mud Shot now!”

“Counter it with Sludge Bomb!” Loki manifested dozens of poisonous spheres to counter the mud-based projectiles that Inteleon was shooting at him. A few made it passed his guard, and landed grazing hits, causing her faithful Ghost to scowl. A few of his own Sludge Bombs connected with Inteleon, but the amount of damage done was minimal without a real type advantage.

“Hit him again with Mud Shot!”

Celeste tsked. “Disappear! Then rapid-fire Thunderbolt! Take him down!” Loki vanished, causing the aura in the stadium to darken. It was similar to what had happened when she had battled Bede, only there was no animosity within the aura. Leon’s Inteleon glanced around, trying to find where Loki’s presence was the strongest, firing off several rounds of Mud Shot to try to hit her wayward Ghost. The arena lit up with multiple strikes of lightning. Inteleon managed to dodge the first couple, before taking a grazing hit, bringing him to a knee. He was slow to recover, and took a second, direct hit, finally falling. Loki re-manifested in front of Celeste, bouncing as he taunted Leon. Despite his bravado, Celeste could tell he was tired.

Leon hesitated for a moment as he considered his options. He knew what kind of monster Loki was, and he really wasn’t sure what would be the best way to counter him. His eyes narrowed with a possible strategy as he picked up his next pokeball. “Seismitoad! Hydro Pump and Earthquake!”

Celeste’s eyes widened with his selection and instructions. “Dark Pulse to counter!” Loki was able to hold off the Water-attack, but was helpless to dodge the paired Ground attack, finally falling after several long moments. Celeste had known that Leon had a few Pokémon that didn’t have a permanent place on his roster. He rotated through them, depending on the opponent he was facing, and while Celeste had a plan for each of them, she hadn’t been expecting that he would use Seismitoad against Loki in that manner. She carefully considered her own options, having expected that Loki would have lasted longer than he had. She had two options, and one really wasn’t an option, because he would be finishing the battle against Charizard. “Let’s go, Aura!”

“Hit it with the same combo!” Leon called out quickly, realizing he had just lost the advantage.

“Stop it in its tracks with Psychic. Then use Magical Leaf.” Seismitoad’s eyes widened when it was frozen in place with Aura’s Psychic. It could only watch helplessly as the Grass attack descended upon it, easily knocking it out.

Leon smirked as he picked up his next pokeball. Celeste narrowed her eyes as he tossed in onto the field. “Haxorus! Poison Jab! Then Iron Tail!”

His Haxorus was fast. Not as fast as Morpheus or Loki, but it was close. It had closed the distance across the field fast enough that Celeste was too slow calling her counterattack. “Dazzling Gleam!” Finally getting her command out as Haxorus hit Aura with its poisoned claws, drawing a sharp cry from Aura. She released her Dazzling Gleam as she was hit with Iron Tail, staggering the Dragon Pokémon before she fell. Celeste tsked, seeing that Haxorus was still in decent enough shape to battle.

She had two options left, as long as she was saving one of her last three Pokémon specifically to go up against Charizard. Leon had one Pokémon left to show that she wasn’t sure of, but as fast as his Haxorus was, she wasn’t sure that Anubis wouldn’t take unnecessary damage if he had the Pokémon left that she thought he did. She was betting on him having his Mr. Rime. It made sense. He always used it against Raihan’s team, and one third of her team had dragon typings. But if she called it wrong, she would probably be in trouble and have only one Pokémon left when Leon got around to pulling out Charizard. She hesitated before she finally picked up her next pokeball. She glanced down at her hip when one of her remaining two Pokémon wiggled in their ball, clearly eager to take the field.

“Morpheus! Dragon Rush! Then Phantom Force if it’s still standing!”

“Draco Meteor!” Leon called out, his face grim. Morpheus disappeared as Haxorus started gathering the energy to start summoning the most powerful Dragon-type attack in existence. Before it could release the move, Morpheus slammed into it, sending it crashing to the ground. It started to recover as Morpheus disappeared again. As it rose to its feet, it was breathing hard, shaking. It swung its head around, looking for Morpheus, its own attack forgotten. As Morpheus flashed into existence behind it, he let out a menacing growl before slamming into Haxorus once more. This time, when Haxorus dropped to the ground, it didn’t get back up.

“Mr. Rime! Use Blizzard!”

“Dodge it with Phantom Force! Then use Steel Wing!” Morpheus disappeared as Mr. Rime released the Ice-attack. She scowled as the hail continued to fall after the brunt of the attack ended.

“Now! Use Sucker Punch followed by Dazzling Gleam!” As Morpheus reappeared, Mr. Rime spun, Sucker Punch giving him a burst of speed that he wouldn’t have had with any other attack. Morpheus fell back before surging forward to land a critical hit with Steel Wing before being taken out with a point-blank blast of Dazzling Gleam.

As she recalled Morpheus, one of the balls on her belt started rattling again. She picked up the ball as it continued to shake in her hand for a moment before finally falling silent. She let a smirk come to her lips at the action. “Anubis!” Her Lucario burst onto the field, a menacing growl coming from snarled lips. “Meteor Mash!”

“Psychic!” In a clash very similar to the last battle she had against Diantha, dust rose from the center of the pitch as the attack’s clashed. Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she waited for it to settle. When it did, Mr. Rime was down. Anubis was a bit shaken, but still standing strong and ready to carry on, staring down Leon with a snarl back on his muzzle.

Leon let out a chuckle then. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you, of all people, have managed to push me this far. Raihan’s the only other person that has ever cornered me like this.” His face turned serious, all hints of laughter fading from his features. “But this is where it ends, Celeste. I’ve never lost a battle, and I don’t intend to start now.”

Anubis let out a menacing growl as Celeste widened her stance, crossing her arms. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Leon. After all, you’ve never had to battle me. Anubis is just getting warmed up.” Her eyes flicked around the stadium, noting that the hail that was left over from Mr. Rime’s Blizzard attack was finally fading away.

Leon finally reached for his final pokeball. Celeste’s brow twitched when he didn’t Dynamax immediately. She quickly realized he wanted to take Anubis out without using Dynamax, because he still knew she had Apollo waiting. “Let’s show everyone a Champion time! Charizard!” The Fire-type appeared on the field with a blaze of fire. He eyed Anubis before letting out a bellowed roar. Anubis met his challenge with a fierce growl. His eyes were hard as he stared down the lizard Pokémon before him, ears twitching as he tensed, waiting for the battle to begin. “Let’s get this show started! Air Slash!”

“Dodge it and use Aura Sphere!”

“Counter it with Ancient Power!”

“Beat them away with Meteor Mash!” As both Pokémon attacked and countered, a few strikes landed on one or the other, but so far, nothing was hitting that was doing any kind of significant damage to either Pokémon. Celeste knew that Anubis needed to at least get a few hits in on Chairzard before he was taken out. It would give Apollo a leg up into the final round of their brawl. As Anubis battered away the last of the rocks that came from Charizard’s Ancient Power attack, Leon stepped things up a notch.

“Fire Blast!”

“Counter it with Dragon Pulse! Then move in for Close Combat!” A few fringes of flames broke passed Anubis’s pulse of purple energy. As they singed his fur, he growled, closing the distance between himself and Charizard, pummeling him with Close Combat.

“Fire Blast again!” Before Anubis could fall back, he was hit point blank with the Fire-attack. He staggered as the flames died away, a snarl resting on his lips.

She could see he was wearing down. He wouldn’t be able to take another direct hit like he had just taken. Celeste had been hoping that Anubis would have been able to push Charizard enough to force Leon to Dynamax before she pulled out Apollo, but he wasn’t budging. She could see a few scrapes along Charizard’s orange hide, but not nearly as much as she had hoped for. The type match up just wasn’t in her favor at the moment. She gritted her teeth before she called out her next set of moves. “Aura Sphere! Then Close Combat again!”

“Dodge the Aura Sphere!” Charizard made to dodge as Anubis started to close the distance to use Close Combat. She was waiting for Leon to call the move. She knew it was coming. Anubis was about to connect when he finally inhaled and started to open his mouth.

“Dragon Pulse! Now!” She called out faster.

“Fire Blast! Hurry!” But he had waited too long. Every hit Anubis landed packed the added power of Dragon Pulse beneath his paws. Charizard took a step back as the last blow fell and let loose with Fire Blast, finally taking Anubis down.

As she recalled Anubis, she eyed Charizard. He was finally starting to breathe a bit harder. The last hit Anubis had done, had finally had an effect on him. Celeste smirked as she picked up her last pokeball. “This is it, Leon. The end of your days as Champion. Are you ready?” She activated her Dynamax band, letting the energy pour into the pokeball in her hands. “DYNAMAX! APOLLO!” When she released her Goodra, he quickly grew to massive proportions, letting out an earsplitting cry. He glanced down at Celeste and she nodded in return.

“If that’s how you want to play it, Celeste, I’ll show you what Charizard can really do! Let’s GIGANTAMAX!” He recalled Charizard, the pokeball likewise filling with Dynamax energy. When he released him once more, he also grew to massive size, his wings changing form to appear as pure fire. “G-Max Wildfire!”

“Blow through it with Max Geyser!” As the massive bird shaped flames erupted from Charizard’s wings and launched at Apollo, he let loose with his own Dynamax move. The enormous pillar of water blew through the flames, disrupting the initial attack as it slammed into Charizard. Celeste grimaced as the flames pulled back together, seeming to fly around the stadium of its own regard, crashing into Apollo four times. He seemed to take the hits well and was still standing strong. Charizard looked a bit haggard after taking the full force of the Dynamaxed Water attack, especially as rain continued to fall in the arena following the attack.

“Max Overgrowth!” A pillar of grass erupted from below Apollo, staggering him slightly, and sending a field of healing grass across the stadium.

Celeste scowled. “Max Geyser again! Before he can recover!” Another vortex of water crashed into Charizard, bringing him to a knee for a moment, shaking the stadium. He slowly recovered, bolstered a bit by the healing effects of his previous attack. She had to give Leon credit. For Charizard to have taken damage prior to Dynamaxing, and then to take two direct Water attacks, he had been trained well. It was no wonder he had been able to maintain his title as long as he had, especially with someone like Raihan as his rival. But Apollo had started their battle fresh, and even though he’d taken direct hits, neither move had been particularly effective against his pure Dragon typing.

“G-Max Wildfire one more time!”

“Again, Apollo!” She grinned finally as she called out her final command. She knew it would be the last attack of the match. It would take a miracle for Charizard to still be standing after taking a third Max Geyser. Just like the first time, the Water attack blasted through the flames, and before the Fire attack could make its resurgence, Charizard collapsed in a burst of Dynamax energy, reverting back to its normal size.

When Charizard fell, the stadium fell silent for a moment, before erupting into cheers. Leon bowed his head, pulling his hat down for a moment. Celeste saw him grit his teeth before he put a smile on his face, tossing his hat in the air. Ever the showman, he spoke to the crowd. “My time as Champion is over, but what a Champion time it’s been! Thank you for the greatest battle I’ve ever had!” He met her at the center of the pitch, for a handshake, and then a hug. Then they headed for the locker rooms before heading out to meet the press. As soon as she entered, she was wrapped in a hug. Raihan was spinning her around, laughing like a fool.

“You did it babe! Haha! You really beat Leon!” When he finally set her down, he quickly pulled her into a kiss.

Leon cleared his throat. “Get a room you two.” Raihan grinned at him before kissing her again. He finally let her go, so they could finish up the day. They quickly changed. Leon glanced at her before they walked out. “You ready for the press?”

She smiled at him. “Not my first time, Lee.”

He chuckled before they both stepped out to meet the reporters all waiting to hound them.

“Leon! How does it feel to finally be defeated after all this time?”

“I’m disappointed, certainly, but at the same time, I couldn’t be prouder of Celeste for being the one to defeat me.”

“Leon, we all saw the hug after the handshake. Are you trying to steal Celeste away from Leader Raihan?”

Celeste spoke up for him. “There is nothing going on between myself and Leon. We grew up together, so he is basically like my big brother. The thought of anything beyond that is...” She glanced at Leon. “No offense, Lee, but that is just gross.”

He laughed. “None taken. I’d think the same.”

“Celeste, how are the wedding plans coming along between you and Leader Raihan?”

She laughed. “Honestly, we haven’t gotten that far yet, what with the Finals and everything else going on. Now that the challenge season is over, we’ll be able to focus on that.”

“Leon! What will you do now that you’re no longer Champion?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, with everything that’s happened, I’m sure that I’ll be giving Celeste a hand with a few things while we make the transition. Beyond that, I don’t have any plans as of yet. But I’m sure that I’ll probably still be involved with the League in one capacity or another.”

“Are you saying you plan to take over as Chairman?”

Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she recognized the slime ball reporter that always made life difficult. Leon shifted uncomfortably next to her before he answered. “That’s really up to the League. If they want me to take up that position, I’m happy to, but it’s certainly not something that has been brought up yet. I’m sure by the time the next challenge season starts up, everything will have settled down.”

The questions continued on for nearly an hour before both she and Leon were finally able to make their exit. Raihan was waiting for them. “Thought I was going to have to pull you out of there myself.” He chuckled as he threw an arm around Celeste.

She shrugged before leaning into him. “Eh, I think the Kalosian press is worse when it comes to crowning new champions. That probably would have gone on for a few hours there.” She let out a yawn.

“Tired?”

She nodded. “It’s been a long couple of weeks. Between Calem, the semi-finals, finals, Eternatus, and then today? I could probably sleep for a week.”

Leon laughed. “I think we all understand. You guys heading home, or you wanna crash at my place tonight?”

Raihan gave him a feral smile. “No offense, Leon, but I think I’ll take my Champion fiancé home to have a proper celebration.”

Celeste gasped, embarrassed. “Rai! Hush!”

Leon just groaned. “Man, that is my little sister. I DO NOT need to hear that.”

Raihan just laughed before calling out his Noivern. “C’mon Princess. Let’s go home.”

She quickly threw her arms around Leon in a quick hug before climbing onto the waiting Pokémon. Raihan clapped his hand on Leon’s shoulder before climbing on behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Without a word, Noivern took off, quickly turning toward Hammerlocke. Leon sighed. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m friends with him.” He shook his head before heading for his apartment to get some rest. He had been Champion for so long, he really wasn’t sure what he was going to do moving forward, but he figured he could worry about that in the morning.


	65. Tying Up Loose Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, we've started into the Epilogue. But before we get to the, sometimes tooth rotting, fluff, there is one batch of serious stuff that needs to be gotten out of the way. I want to start out by saying, that I was not in a good head space when I wrote this chapter a couple months ago. I was super depressed, and on top of that, there was some stuff at work that really set me off in the anger department. I had been wanting to wreck a certain character, but I had been having trouble putting it together until I went through all that I did, then it just flowed, and, well, it became what you are going to read. I don't really know how to/if I need to put any major warnings on this chapter. But I will say that there is some...mental health issues that live in this chapter.

**_POKEDEX ENTRY: Hydreigon, The Brutal Pokemon._ **

**_Beware_ _the Hydreigon. There are a slew of stories about villages that were destroyed by Hydreigon. It bites anything that moves. The three heads take turns sinking their teeth into the opponent. Their attacks won’t slow until their target goes down._ **

_Galar was one of the most peaceful regions in the world. Sure, there were petty crimes from time to time, but there were rarely any truly horrendous crimes of note in recent history. It wasn’t always this way, though. And a reminder of this dark past remained in the depths of Hammerlocke’s fortress. Forgotten, until now. For the first time in over a decade, Stone Keep Prison held its first occupant._

Calem sat, slumped in the center of his cell. He didn’t know how long he’d been there, as the only light that ever entered the dank cell came from the few Litwick that were floating through the halls. The guards had told him, when they brought him in, that they didn’t need locks on the doors. They told him that roaming the prison’s corridors was Tiny. Tiny was a Hydreigon that had been raised a couple hundred years prior, specifically for the purpose of eating prisoners that would try to escape. Tiny had been trained to retreat with special signals that the prison guards would use when they needed to enter to feed or tend to the prisoners. He had heard the roars echo through the halls from time to time. There was even one night when he had heard shuffling by his door, and the rough, snarling, sniffing of a predator seeking its prey. When it came, the Litwick disappeared, leaving behind nothing but darkness. Over the years, the prison staff had continued to care for Tiny, even in the absence of any prisoners to guard, but now that he was there, Tiny had made himself known.

During his stay in the cell, the guards had found a certain joy in sharing current events with him, especially if they revolved around Celeste. They would never speak to him directly, instead choosing to talk between themselves loud enough that he could hear them in his cell.

“Hey, did you hear? They said that Challenger Celeste and Leader Raihan are engaged now?”

“No kidding?”

“Yeah. Man, what I wouldn’t give to be in his shoes. She’s a beautiful woman.”

“The media was saying that she’s pregnant, ya know?”

“But I thought they said it was just a rumor?”

“Haha. Even if she’s not right now, can you imagine what their kids will look like?”

“Attractive as hell, that’s what.”

The words had hurt him. _Celeste was his. She would always be his. He had finally beaten her. She had to love him now. But then that man, no…that Gym Leader had come along and ruined it. He’d beaten his team. He’d taken her away. And then that other man had threatened him. Taken his team away from him. Sent him here. He’d get even. He’d take Celeste back. He’d show them all._ Amid his rambling thoughts, more of the guards chatter broke through.

“Oi, you hear that we’ve got a new Champion?”

“Yeah, Miss Celeste.”

“I heard she beat Leon easily.”

“Well, she did stop the Darkest Day. What do you expect?”

“She’s a bloody hero.”

“I heard that she teamed up with the Legendary Sword Pokemon Zacian to do it, too.”

“I can’t believe our new Champion is so cool.”

_No. No no no. No no no no no no no. She couldn’t be the Champion. He’d won. He’d beaten her. He’d done everything to win. How could she do this to him again? How could she take the credit for saving the world, again? How could she do it without him? Why did she always shine brighter than he did? Why why why why why? Why would he never be good enough? Why was it always HER?_

He rocked back and forth, his fists pulling at his hair as his mind ran wild. His denial fueled his thoughts into a downward spiral. The guards heard the hysterical sobbing coming from his cell as he muttered his denial aloud. They shared a dark look before they pushed just a bit harder.

“Can you believe that someone so talented as our Champion ever wasted her time with garbage like him?”

“What’s worse, is that someone so beautiful was permanently scarred by garbage like him.”

“We’re just lucky that our Champion survived. I heard she was in the hospital for a couple weeks and almost died.”

“I heard that too. They said that Leader Raihan was by her side the entire time.”

_What? What did they mean scars? He didn’t hurt her. He would never. He just beat her. It was a fair match. How could they say he had hurt her. She was his. Why would he?_

He gripped his arms, nails digging into the skin. The more strongly he denied what they said, the deeper he dug his nails into his skin, drawing blood. The harder he denied it, the stronger the memories came.

_She screamed when Absol attacked. Then again when Greninja attacked._

His eyes welled with tears. He screwed them shut, slamming the heels of his hands over his eyes.

_She fell to the ground. Blood all around her._

He couldn’t make the images stop. The Litwick were crowding around his cell, their flames flickering in a dangerous dance. Were he more coherent, he would recognize the effect their Night Shade attack was having on him.

_He held her in his arms, her body lifeless._

At that, he screamed. The Litwick scattered, their flames quickly disappearing. The guards were long gone, and his scream was met in return with a deafening roar.

_I hurt her. I killed her. She’s gone. What have I done? Gone. Gone gone gone gone._

Too far gone beyond reason. He climbed to his feet, sobbing hysterically. He threw himself at the door to his cell, fumbling with the latch before it finally swung open. He stumbled into the hall, hands searching blindly in the dark. He was so lost within his own mind that he didn’t hear the rapid clicking of claws in the dark. He didn’t hear the rasping of breath as three heads sought their prey. He didn’t see the snarling of lips, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. And as he stumbled down the corridor, it was only when three gaping maws closed down on him, did he let out a true scream of terror. A scream, that was quickly silenced, broken only by the satisfied roar of a predator claiming their prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo......yeah. Our boy finally got his comeuppance. You guys probably forgot about him? Or thought that I forgot about him? Nah, I was just waiting to really hit you guys. Plus, the longer I waited to punish him, the more things developed in the story to hurt him with. 
> 
> Sorry about the dark start to the Epilogue, but I promise it's all good from here. Rest assured, the other 3 chapters of the Epilogue will be wholesome goodness. Sometimes tooth rottingly fluffy. And maybe, even a little bit cheesy at the very end.


	66. A New Addition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue the beginning of the happy ending. 😁😁😁

Despite the challenge season being over, Celeste continued to stay busy. The life of a Champion was hectic. Between photo shoots, sponsorship meetings, and handling the fallout from Rose’s stunt, her work was never done. She had been putting her thoughts about Calem’s coming trial to the back of her mind, preferring instead to focus on wedding planning with Raihan. So, when she and Raihan received a call one night to relay the news, she simply sat there in shock. All they could tell her was that he had tried to escape his cell and had died. An uncomfortable grimace from Raihan led to them discussing just what exactly lived within the depths of Hammerlocke’s fortress. Celeste let herself feel some sadness over the way things had ended with Calem, but a part of her was also glad that it was over.

A couple weeks after she had defeated Leon, he approached her with an idea, and she told him to run with. He was planning on taking over Rose Tower and changing it into a Battle Tower. It would be a good place for trainers to develop and was already a perfectly set up to handle Dynamaxing. They had met several times to go over the plans, and they were in the middle of one such meeting, about a month later, after lunch when Celeste started to feel ill. She tried to shake off the feeling, but as the meeting progressed, she felt worse. She finally excused herself, running for the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Leon’s eyes held concern when she returned. She gave him a small smile. “Must have just been something I ate. I’m fine now.” Their meeting finished up without any other incidents. Similar things kept happening over the next couple weeks before Raihan put a stop to it.

“Rai, I’m fine.” She pouted, crossing her arms.

“I’ll feel better about it after the doctor says you’re fine. People who are fine don’t keep getting sick at random times of the day.” He slowly pushed her towards the door so they could head over to the appointment he had made for her.

“It’s probably just stress from everything. You’re overreacting.”

He leveled a flat look at her. “You get sick like this with any of the stress you had while you were Champion in Kalos?”

She looked away, frowning. “No.”

He resumed pushing her. “We’re going.”

When they took her back to see the doctor, they had Raihan stay in the waiting room. He sat there, leg bouncing, with his hands clenched while he waited. Meanwhile, Celeste gave them all the different samples they needed and sat in the exam room until the doctor finally came in. “Champion Celeste. Thanks for waiting. Most everything checks out fine, but I did have some follow up questions for you. Are you and your fiancé sexually active?”

She blushed. “Yes, but I have the dermal implant for birth control.”

“Where is it implanted?”

“My right arm.” She wasn’t sure where the doctor was going with his questions.

“I was looking at your records, and you recently had some pretty significant trauma, including extensive injuries to both of your arms.”

She nodded slowly. “Right.”

“Since then, have you checked to see if your implant was actually still in place?”

Her eyes widened, her mind finally putting the pieces together. She whispered. “No.” Before the doctor could continue, she spoke again. “Are you saying?” She trailed off.

He nodded. “The symptoms you have been having are due to morning sickness. You’re pregnant. About 6 weeks. We need to take an x-ray of your arm to ensure that the implant is fully gone before moving forward.” They took her back to get the image, and sure enough, it was gone. “I understand this was not something you had planned for, so it can take some time to process. We’ll schedule an appointment for you to come in with your fiancé in a couple weeks. At that time, we’ll get you all set up to plan for things moving forward, as well as get all of the rest of your appointments going from there.”

She shook herself and schooled her face into something that was carefully neutral. “Thank you.”

Raihan shot to his feet when she walked out. “Well?”

She just shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about this here. I’m fine, but there is something we need to discuss.”

He frowned, concern evident on his face. “Okay?”

She was quiet the entire trip home. Her mind was racing, worrying about adding in pregnancy in with wedding planning. If the doctor was right on timing, she would be having the baby right in the middle of the first Challenge season with her as Champion. They were already home, and Raihan had been talking to her, trying to get her attention for a few minutes before she snapped out of her thoughts. “Babe. Focus. What’s going on?”

She met his eyes calmly. Much more calmly than she felt inside. “You should probably sit down.” He frowned, but complied. “So, remember how I had told you about my implant?” He nodded slowly. She’d told him about it soon after the first time they’d had sex. “Well, I was a bit…” She hesitated, looking for the right word. “Mistaken. Apparently, when Calem attacked me, it got lost. And there was so much else going on, that none of us bothered to check to see if it was still there.” He was still frowning, trying to follow what she was getting at. “So, basically since the attack, I apparently haven’t been on birth control like we thought I was.”

His expression was changing. Slowly. “Princess, what exactly are you trying to say?” She thought she could see his mind piecing it together, but he needed her to say it to be sure.

“I’m pregnant.”

He was silent for a long moment, face blank. She watched him, her concern growing, until his face broke into a grin. “You’re pregnant?”

She nodded lightly. “Apparently.”

“With my kid?”

She snorted. “Well it certainly wouldn’t be anyone else’s.”

“We’re having a baby!” He laughed as he wrapped her up in his arms, spinning her around. His attitude was infectious, and she couldn’t help joining in with his laughter. When he finally set her down, he sobered up for a moment. “Oh, shit. How am I going to tell Leon?”

She sighed. “Of all the things to be worried about, that is what you pick?”

“What do you mean, all the things?”

She frowned as she started ticking through her fingers. “We aren’t married yet, and I am not wearing a wedding dress when I look like a Wailmer. This is going to be my first Challenge season as Champion, so how am I going to have time with this? Based on timing, I’ll be having the baby right in the middle of the season. The press is going to be ridiculous with all of this.” She sighed again. “And we have to tell Lee.”

He pulled her back into his arms. “It’ll be fine. The first one is easy to fix. We’ll just get married this week.”

She grumbled. “Which is just going to add to the press.”

“It’ll be fine. I guess before we do anything though, we should go visit Leon.”

Much to their surprise, Leon actually took the news well. “I mean, it was coming eventually, right?” He was surprisingly eager to help them plan a small wedding that would only have the rest of the gym leaders and family present. They came up with a good reason to use when the press had its inevitable fit about the private wedding. And they figured that if they did things just right, it could be played that they didn’t know she was pregnant at the time, and only found out after the fact. It was actually a bit shocking how helpful Leon was in regard to it all.

They had the wedding about a week later, exactly as planned. The rest of the Gym Leaders were eager to celebrate and had completely understood the concern for time later in the year, when they would all be getting busier with the Challenge Season starting back up. They went to the next doctor’s appointment together and started to prepare themselves for what they would face. As predicted, when the press found out about their wedding, they went wild. They were even worse when they found out about her pregnancy. As expected, the first jump they made was to assume that they had rushed the wedding up because of the pregnancy. Celeste frowned as she repeated the white lie easily enough. “As I have already told you. Raihan and I moved the wedding up simply because we were worried about the time it would take away from the upcoming Challenge season. I only found out I was pregnant after the wedding took place. We hadn’t announced anything until recently, because we wanted to make sure that everything was progressing as it should.” They hounded her for a while longer before Raihan came to her rescue.

“I’m sure you can appreciate that your Champion needs rest. Thank you for all of the questions and support that you have sent our way. Until next time!” He waved, spinning around and whisking her away.


	67. The New Addition Arrives

Her pregnancy continued without a problem. The next Challenge season started up, and she was able to handle the opening ceremonies just fine. She continued to make her press appearances right up until the day she went into labor. The last month or so of her pregnancy, she had been staying in Hammerlocke, as travel was getting to be tough on her. Plus, she would be that much closer to Raihan when she went into labor. It was midway through the season, and Raihan was just starting to get a few challengers coming through. He was just getting ready to take a challenger, when his phone went off. Seeing Celeste’s name, he quickly picked up. “Hey babe. Everything okay?”

She let out a few controlled breaths before she spoke, pain evident in her voice. “I need you. Now. It’s time.”

His eyes widened. “I’ll be right there.” He quickly clicked off his phone, caught the attention of one of his staffers, and told them to postpone any challenges until they heard otherwise from him. “We’re having a baby!” He whooped as he ran out of the gym. He called for a taxi to meet him at his house to take them to the hospital.

As soon as they arrived, they were taken back to a delivery room. The doctor came in to check her once they had her settled in bed. “Looks like everything is going smoothly so far. We’ve probably got about another hour before we’ll need you to really push. For now, you need to just ride through it. Do you want anything for pain, Champion?”

She glared at the doctor. “What do you think?” She spat, before groaning as another contraction ripped through her.

Raihan took her hand. “Breathe, Princess. Remember to breathe.” He was not a man scared of many things. But he was a bit afraid of his wife at the moment, especially as she squeezed the life out of his hand. The pain meds they brought her didn’t seem to do much to help. She still groaned with each contraction that she had as they waited. Raihan had never felt so helpless as he did during that time. Finally, the doctor came back in and checked on her. Telling her that it was time to push. Throughout the process, he never took his hand off of hers, even when she was trying to crush his hand in hers. He kept giving her encouragement. “You’re doing great, baby.” And finally, with a yell, she slumped back against the bed, breathing hard. There was a moment of hesitation, before the baby finally began to cry. Raihan let out a breath when he heard the sound.

“Congratulations. It’s a baby girl.” They cleaned her off and handed her to Celeste, who started to cry a bit when she held her for the first time.

“Ayla.” She whispered between her own tears, as the baby girl started to calm. Raihan had edged onto the bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him and almost let out a giggle. He was staring at their newborn with nothing short of adoration in his eyes. He gently reached up and brushed the back of his finger against the baby’s cheek.

“She’s perfect, babe. Just like her mom.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Celeste’s head. “Can I?” He asked, reaching his other arm toward Ayla, removing his other arm from behind Celeste. She shifted the baby in her arms before carefully handing her over to Raihan. As she started to cry with being shifted, he gently rocked her. “Shh, Princess. Daddy’s got you.” The baby quieted before long.

Celeste smiled. “Guess I can’t be your Princess anymore, now that Ayla is finally here.”

He glanced up at her, a smile on his face. “But then that just makes you my Queen, my Goddess. Whichever you prefer.”

The nurse came in shortly after their exchange. “Are you ready to try feeding her?” She asked quietly.

Celeste nodded, holding her arms out for their daughter. “Rai?” He smiled gently as he handed her back. “Why don’t you text Lee and let him know he’s officially an Uncle? This will probably take a bit.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Alright. I’ll be back.”

As soon as he was in the hall, he was dialing his best friends’ number. “Hey man, what’s going on?”

“Congratulations, Uncle Leon. You have a beautiful new niece.”

“Seriously? When?”

“Within the last hour.”

Leon laughed through the phone. “Oh, man. Congratulations! I’m surprised you haven’t posted a dozen pictures yet.”

Raihan blinked. “Honestly, it didn’t even cross my mind until now. She’s so perfect Leon.”

“Hey man. Go back in there. I’ll let Hop and the rest of the family know for ya. I’ll text you later to see when they’re ready for visitors.”

He walked back into the room, phone still in his hands. The nurse was just leaving, and Celeste was laying her head back, just closing her eyes. “Leon’s gonna let the rest of the family know for us. They’ll text later to see when you’re up for visitors.”

She blinked her eyes open. “At least they’re going to wait until I’m ready.” She noticed his phone. “Picture time already?”

He smiled. “Just a quick one, and then I’ll take her so you can sleep.” He quickly had his Rotom phone snap a picture of just her and their daughter before moving to sit next to Celeste again for their first family photo. He kissed the top of her head again and gently took Ayla from her, making for the chair in the room. He had already forgotten that he hadn’t put his phone away. So, he didn’t realize that it was still taking pictures as he stared at his daughter with the most loving smile that had ever graced his face.

Raihan eventually posted a few of the pics together with the caption. ‘Welcome to the world, future Champion Ayla. My perfect baby girl.’ It was one of the most liked posts he had ever had.

Understandably, Raihan took a few days off. He made sure to post his apology to his challengers, but they seemed to be understanding. When he finally returned to the Gym, he had a solid couple of days’ worth of challengers waiting for him. He was exhausted every night when he returned home, but his exhaustion would quickly melt away as soon as he would hold her.

Celeste’s recovery went well. As soon as she was able, she was working hard to get her body back into shape. She pulled Phoenyx and Eris, her Sylveon, out of the PC to help watch over Ayla. The two were naturals at it and were eager to help whenever they could. Before long, the end of the Challenge season was upon them, and Celeste was ready to make her grand re-appearance. When she stepped onto the pitch to announce the beginning of the semi-finals, the crowd went crazy. She waved to the stands, laughing as she switched her mic on.

“Thank you, Galar, for that wonderful welcome! It’s good to be back! It’s been quite the interesting Challenge season. Are you ready to start the Semi-Finals?!” As the crowd roared, she turned, gesturing to the entrance to the pitch. “Here are your semi-finalists! Which one will be the lucky one to make it to the Finals, where they will have a chance to win their way to a battle with me?! Are you ready to find out??” She switched off her mic and let the announcer take over as she walked off the pitch. She saw Raihan waiting for her, Ayla in his arms, with Phoenyx and Eris waiting beside him for when they would need to take over. She smiled as she kissed him on the cheek and looked at their daughter, oddly content with the noise in the stadium. They had special ear protection for her, since she was still so young, and it seemed to be working well.

Raihan smirked. “Feel good to be back?”

“Arceus, yes.” She grinned. “This is where I belong.”

The semi-finals were quick. Raihan passed Ayla over to her so he could battle in the Finals. Despite the monstrous battle between him and Bede, he managed to come out on top, earning a battle with his wife. With a quiet word, Celeste handed Ayla off to Phoenyx and Eris, nodding at them before making her way back to the pitch. When they met in the middle, Celeste made a quick comment before they turned their mics on. “Are you ready to be conquered by your Queen?” She smirked.

He growled. “You have no idea what hearing you say that does to me.”

She winked. “Maybe I do.” Before she quickly switched on her mic.

He laughed before he followed suit. They had a fierce battle. It was even better than the battle they’d had the year prior. But ultimately, Raihan still fell to Celeste. That was how it would be every year for the next few years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, guys. This is it. One more chapter to go!


	68. Time Fly's When You're Having Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it everyone! The final chapter!
> 
> And one last pun title for you! 😉

~~ Five Years Later ~~

Celeste wasn’t feeling great that morning. She hadn’t been feeling well off and on for a week or so. They had just finished up the Challenge season, Celeste defending her title for the fifth year in a row. She was heading toward the door to go see the doctor when she heard the most adorable thing.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, Princess?”

“How come whenever you and mommy battle, mommy always wins?” She had to bite her lip to keep herself from giggling as she moved back toward the living room to watch.

Raihan let out a chuckle. “Well, Princess, mommy is the greatest trainer around, and nobody can beat her. Not me, not your Uncle Leon, not anybody.”

“But doesn’t that make you sad that you don’t ever win?”

He ruffled her hair. “Ah, but Princess, just because I never win against mommy, doesn’t mean that I don’t ever win. You’ve come to the Gym to watch me, and you watched me win my way through the Finals to be able to battle mommy. And I win lots then, don’t I?”

There was a pause as the five-year old thought about it. “I guess you do. So that means you’re the strongest, after mommy, right?”

He laughed. “That’s right, Princess.” He glanced up to meet Celeste’s eyes. She had a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling at the sight. She waved, and then turned to leave.

The doctor confirmed what she had already thought. She asked for a picture of the test, so she could put together the surprise for Raihan. She printed the picture off and got a little box to put it in and slipped it in her bag, so she could give it to him that night after they put Ayla to bed. She struggled to keep the secret from him all evening. And finally, when he walked into their room, pulling his shirt off, he paused, seeing Celeste sitting there in one of his shirts, kneeling on the bed with the box in front of her.

“What’s this?” He tossed his shirt to the side.

“A surprise.” She grinned.

His brow rose. “What’s the occasion?”

“Just open it.”

He pulled at the bow she had tied around it, and carefully lifted the lid. He stared at the picture inside for a few long minutes, brow furrowed. Then, understanding lit in his eyes and his head shot up. “Is this what I think it is?”

She shrugged. “Depends. What do you think it is?”

“Are you pregnant?” At her nod, he set the box to the side, laughing, before he pulled her into his arms.

“I knew you’d be excited.” She smiled at him.

He simply grinned in return. “Of course, I am!”

Seven and a half months later, they were welcoming their second baby girl into the world. Raihan was, of course, the proudest father he could be. Pictures of the newest member of their family, as well as shots of the entire family together flooded his social media pages. Even with their growing family, he maintained his position as Hammerlocke’s Gym Leader for years to come, while Celeste continued to defend her title. Both trainers were excited for the day that their daughters would begin their adventures and start training to take their places. And with the number of dragons that both he and Celeste had trained, they were sure that nothing would come between the Dragon and his Queen, and their two Princesses.

~~The End~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, for starters. That last line and the amount of cheesy, tooth-rotting fluff that went into it. Oof. It makes me cringe just as much as it warms the cockles of my heart every time I re-read it. 
> 
> Now, onto the more serious things. I want to thank you all for sticking with me through this journey. I had started writing sorta similar fics a couple years ago, but never with any intention to post them. At the time, where I was living and working, I didn't have much to do in my free time, and it was a way to fill the void. So the beginning of the year, when I bit the bullet and said 'fuck it' and started to post this story, I thought it would maybe get a few hits, maybe a couple of kudos. I never thought that it would reach the point that it has. So, thank you! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 I especially want to give a shout out to AdeenBanner for becoming my hype woman and helping me keep the motivation to finish the story, even when I was struggling.
> 
> And finally, I know I've mentioned it a few times in comments on a few of the latest chapters, but, I want to make sure there is something more 'official', so here it is. I think that, yes, I am getting ideas together for a new story. BUT! It's probably going to be a bit before it really gets going, because I have a few other projects that are going to take priority to wrap up first. That being said, I do have kind of rough outline of notes (almost 1k words of notes) on things for the follow up story for our family. I have loved that a few of you have commented ideas of how some of the different pokemon would interact with the kids. Please keep those coming in the comments, because I will absolutely add them to my outline notes in the hopes of using them in some way, shape, or form. 
> 
> I think that just about covers everything. So, Thanks again for joining me on this journey! I'll see your lovely faces in the comments and in the next fic!


End file.
